THLTIGEP^6- 
THE  INSECT 


BY  JOHN  HABERRTON 


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The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


The  Tiger 
and  the  Insect 

By 

John  Habberton 
Author  of  "Helen's  Babies" 


New  York 
R.   H.   RUSSELL  Publisher 
MCMII 


Copyright^  IQ02,  by  Robert  Howard  Russell 
Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London, 


1 

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER 

L 

A  Startling  Suggestion 

PAGE 
I 

II. 

In  the  Tiger's  Lair  . 

6 

III. 

A  New  Acquaintance  . 

.  13 

IV. 

Playing  Mamma 

22 

V. 

At  the  End  of  a  Wire  . 

•  34 

VI. 

The  Sky  is  Cleared 

.  59 

VII. 

For  Kate's  Sake  . 

•  72 

VIII. 

More  Bicycling  . 

.  82 

IX. 

A  Browning  Afternoon 

.  96 

X. 

A  Visit  to  the  Animals 

.  112 

XI. 

"  Playin'  Hoss"  . 

.  127 

XII. 

A  Day  of  Mythology  . 

.  138 

XIII. 

Sunday   

.  147 

XIV. 

Amateur  Surgery 

.  160 

XV. 

A  Change  of  Base 

.  174 

XVI. 

A  Dangerous  Dream  . 

.  183 

XVII. 

A  Vacation  Prolonged 

.  194 

XVIII. 

"  Playin'  Injun  "... 

.  205 

XIX. 

Utterly  Unexpected  . 

.  224 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

In  an  instant  those  dears  were  simply  swarming  on  me  1 8 

"  Dee  little  Insec\  mammals  dawn  out"  ...  30 
While  the  struggle  was  at  its  height,  I  heard  the 

rings  of  the  portiere  rattle  ...  51 
"  Hyee^s  haying  her  pwayers  in  /wont  of  mamma, 

dj'us' like  we ^s  done"   60 

/  called  their  attention  to  an  approaching  battleship  64 
The  Tiger  dug  her  toes  into  the  earth  and  kicked 

rapidly  towards  her  sister        ,       ,       .  131 

They  was  hookin^  jam  out  of  the  sideboard"       .  169 

"  Dere  was  a  old  piece  ofwope  lyin'  hide  0^  the  woad"  208 
Mr.  Stryver  was  already  on  his  knees  beside  her  and 

sucking  the  wound  .       ,       .       ,       .  228 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

CHAPTER  I 
A  Startling  Suggestion 

Nell,"  said  my  father  one  morning,  after 
he  had  littered  his  end  of  the  breakfast  table 
with  the  morning's  instalment  of  letters,  **what 
would  you  think  of  a  tiger-hunt  as  a  finishing 
touch  to  your  education  ?  " 

Though  I  was  a  Western  girl — far  North- 
western, to  be  strictly  accurate,  and  had  shot 
some  specimens  of  *'big  game,"  merely  to 
show  my  father  and  brothers  that  I  was  not  of 
the  timid  type,  several  knives,  forks,  and  spoons 
clattered  discordantly  on  plates,  cups,  and  sau- 
cers and  several  pairs  of  eyes  looked  inquir- 
ingly toward  the  head  of  the  table.  My 
father  continued  : 

"Your  sister  Kate  seems  to  be  very  weary. 
Harry  writes  that  he  is  at  his  wits'  end  to  re- 
lieve her  still  more  of  the  care  of  the  children 

I 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


He's  the  best  husband  I  ever  heard  of, — except 
one  whom  modesty  forbids  me  to  mention, — 
but  he  is  so  busy  looking  after  his  employer's 
interests  that  he  has  not  time  enough  to  give  to 
his  own.  What  slaves  those  Eastern  men  are  ! 
And  poor  Kate  won't  intrust  the  youngsters 
to  a  nurse  ;  as  they're  good  as  gold,  I  suppose 
she  fears  that  some  alloy  will  be  sneaked  into 
them.  Their  father  probably  feared  that  I'd 
ask  him  to  ship  the  entire  lot  out  to  us,  for  he 
insists  that  Kate  is  too  feeble  to  travel  far, 
and  she  would  go  nowhere  without  her  brood. 
He  says  that,  thanks  to  their  mixed  blood,  the 
children  are  as  inquisitive  as  Yankees  and  as 
fearless  as  Westerners,  so  they  would  turn  a 
railway  train  topsy-turvey  and  find  a  dozen 
ways  of  killing  themselves  before  they  were 
an  hour  from  home,  and  if  they  chanced  to 
survive  they  would  be  sure  to  find  an 
abandoned  shaft  and  fall  into  it  before  they'd 

been  here  a  full  day.    The  Tiger  " 

By  this  time  I  knew  what  father  meant  by 
a  tiger-hunt,  for  "  Tiger "  was  the  oldest 
nickname  of  my  sister's  first-born  and  my  own 
first  niece.  How  the  poor  child  came  by  the 
name  doesn't  matter,  for  the  origin  of  family 

2 


A  Startling  Suggestion 


nicknames  is  quite  as  mysterious  as  any  of  the 
philological  theories  which  I  was  compelled  to 
read  in  my  last  year  at  the  high  school.  We 
knew  there  was  nothing  tigerish  in  the  nature 
of  Kate's  darling,  for  we  knew  the  history  of 
her  ancestry  on  both  sides  for  several 
generations.  We  had  never  seen  her,  for 
our  little  mountain  city  was  two-thirds  the 
distance  across  the  continent  from  New  York, 
to  which  city  Harry  Lintrey  had  taken  Kate 
a  few  months  after  their  marriage,  with  the 
hope  of  an  early  return.  But  there  had  not 
been  a  month  since  the  Tiger's  birth  in  which 
we  had  not  received  pictures  of  her,  all 
taken  by  an  amateur's  camera,  and  therefore 
without  any  of  the  trickinesses  of  **  retouch- 
ing." They  had  made  us  well  acquainted 
with  a  plump,  frank,  large-eyed  countenance, 
the  expressions  of  which  were  quite  as 
numerous  as  the  pictures,  and  all  were 
winning. 

After  several  years  the  photographs  began 
to  include  another  and  a  smaller  figure, 
labelled  "The  Insect,"  and  Kate's  letters, 
which  till  then  had  been  full  of  the  Tiger  and 
its  ways,  abounded  in  what  my  father  termed 

3 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


*'  studies  in  entomology,  by  a  rapturous  lunatic." 
The  studies  were  extremely  interesting,  but 
we  were  as  one — my  parents,  my  brothers 
and  I,  in  our  resolve  that  the  Tiger's  nose — 
bless  it ! — should  not  be  put  out  of  joint  in 
the  manner  customary  in  such  cases,  or,  indeed, 
in  any  other  manner,  though  the  Insect  was 
undoubtedly  the  dearest,  prettiest,  cunningest, 
sweetest  second  baby  that  ever  came  into  any 
family. 

**  Do  Kate  and  Harry  ask  for  me  ? "  I 
inquired. 

"  They  would  prefer  your  mother,"  was  the 

reply,  *'  but  they  admit  "  here  father  looked 

significantly  at  me  and  my  younger  brothers, 
who  are  the  dearest  and  dreadfullest  half- 
grown  boys  on  the  continent, — '*  but  they  ad- 
mit that  we  have  a  menagerie  of  our  own,  so 
Harry  suggests  that  your  mother's  torments 
might  be  lessened  and  Kate  might  be  helped 
if  we  were  to  let  you  go  East  for  a  few  weeks. 
Knowing  how  reluctant  Western  girls  are  to 
visit  New  York — Harry  is  not  too  weary  to 
enjoy  his  little  joke,  I  see — he  says  Kate  will 
provide  several  new  gowns  and  hats  for  you  to 
bring  back  with  you,  even  though  most  of 

4 


A  Startling  Suggestion 


them  will  be  made-overs,  from  old  ones  of  her 
own." 

And  when  do  they  want  me  ?  " 
"  By  the  first  train  possible." 
**  Which  won't  start  till  two  this  afternoon  ! 
Six  whole  hours  to  wait  !  " 


CHAPTER  11. 


In  the  Tiger's  Lair 

Kate  and  I  had  scarcely  <:eased  trying  to 
hug  each  other's  heads  off  when  I  became 
conscious  that  a  penetrating  stare  was  fixed 
upon  me.  As  I  turned  my  head  inquiringly 
and  gazed  into  the  luminous  depths  of  the 
Tiger's  eyes,  a  voice  of  great  depth  and 
resonance  issued  from  the  Tiger's  lips. 

"  You  don't  look  a  hingle  bit  like  I  hinked 
you  would." 

Hinked'?"  I  murmured,  as  my  eyes 
questioned  Kate's. 

**She  means  'thought' — 'thinked'"  Kate 
replied,  as  she  looked  at  me  wonderingly. 

Don't  you  see  ?  " 

*'  Oh,  thank  you.    And  the  other  word  ? 
hingle'?" 

Why,  *  single.'  I  fear,  dear,  that  your 
long  journey  has  dulled  your  wits  a  bit.  I 
must  have  some  tea  made  for  you  at  once,  for 
it  would  never  do  for  you  to  misunderstand 
our  Tiggie.    The  dear  child  is  very  sensitive." 

6 


In  the  Tiger's  Lair 


**  *  Hensitive  ! '  "  echoed  the  Tiger,  turning 
aside  a  face  which  was  eloquent  with  scorn. 
*'Huh!" 

**  Come  to  me  this  instant ! — you  impertinent, 
adorable  little  wretch  ! "  I  exclaimed,  placing 
my  hands  under  her  shoulders,  tossing  her 
up  to  my  lips  and  kissing  her  soundly.  Your 
mother  has  written  me  so  much  about  you 
that  I've  known  you  ever  since  you  were 
born." 

The  Tiger  looked  as  if  she  thought  my 
statement  was  open  to  doubt  and  she  said, 
with  a  note  of  reproach  in  her  voice  : 

I  hyood  hink,  den,  dat  you'd  know  what 
*  hinked '  means,  wivout  havin'  to  be  told." 

"  But,  dear,  your  mother  didn't  send  me 
your  dictionary." 

"  Nell  Trewsome !  "  Kate  exclaimed ;  **  stop 
teasing  that  child  !  " 

**  I  wouldn't  tease  her  for  worlds,  you  silly 
mother.  But  Where's  your  other  terror — the 
Insect?" 

**  De  Insec's  takin*  her  nap,"  the  Tiger  re- 
plied for  her  mother.  '  (I  soon  learned  that 
this  was  her  custom,  and  that  Kate  thought  it 
quite  motherly  of  her.)    "  You  mustn't  make 

7 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


no  noise  till  it's  time  for  her  to  wake  up. 
Your  pittcher  is  on  de  bed  wiv  her,  to  help  her 
fink  'bout  you  real  hard." 

**My  pitcher?"  My  eyes  filled  as  I  con- 
tinued :  **  Kate,  dear,  I  knew  that  you'd  brought 
some  of  my  old  toys  to  New  York  with  you, 
to  remember  me  by,  but  to  think  that  you 
loved  me  so  much  as  even  to  give  them  to 
your  children  as  suggestions  of  me — oh,  oh  ! " 

The  dear  girl  made  haste  to  kiss  the  tears 
from  my  eyes  and  she  trembled  with  emotion, 
but  when  my  vision  became  cleared  I  saw  that 
the  emotion  was  humorous  to  a  degree  that 
threatened  hysterics,  as  Kate  said  : 

How  long  railway  trips  do  confuse  one's 
sense  of  hearing!  The  Tiger  said  nothing 
about  a  pitcher.    She  said  *  picture.'  " 

Yes  ;  pittcher  ;  dat's  what  I  hed.    It's  one 
of  dem  fings  of  you,  all  dwessed  up,  an'  'tand- 
in'  by  a  table,  wiv  a  darden  behind  you." 
Oh  !    Do  you  mean  a  photograph  ?  " 

"  Dat's  it !  Noffin'  else  looks  dat  way,  does 
it?  Anyhow  we've  tissed  it — de  Insec'  an' 
me,  till  it's  awful  dirty.  Papa  finks  it  ought 
to  doe  to  de  laundry.  You  tan  tum  an'  hee  it, 
an'  hee  de  Insec'  too,  if  you'll  keep  weal  'till." 

8 


In  the  Tiger's  Lair 


I  looked  at  Kate,  who  nodded  assent,  and 
led  the  way  on  tiptoe,  as  she  said  : 

"  The  room  is  dark,  so  I'm  afraid  you'll  have 
to  strain  your  eyes  to  see  anything  whatever, 
yet  I'm  dying  to  have  you  see  her,  for  she's 

the  most  entrancing  little  " 

Oh,"  said  the  Tiger,  '"taint  hoe  awful 
dark  in  de  room,  'tause  dere's  a  takkayite. 
De  Insec'  won't  doe  to  hleep  wivout  it." 

"  Takkayite  ? — takkayite  ?  "  I  whispered  to 
myself,  as  I  wondered.  Probably  it  was  some- 
thing new  in  night-lamps.  In  the  advertising 
pages  of  the  magazines  I  had  seen  descriptions 
of  tiny  lamps  for  people  who  desired  dim  light 
in  sick-rooms,  but  none  of  them  had  been 
called  a  takkayite." 

Suddenly  the  word  escaped  my  mind,  for  in 
a  little  crib  bed  to  which  Kate  led  me,  after 
she  had  drawn  the  window  shade  an  inch  or 
two,  I  saw  a  bewildering  and  bewitching 
jumble  of  ruffled  pillow,  plump  cheeks,  yellow 
hair,  long  eyelashes,  parted  lips,  gay  frock, 
crumpled  fingers,  bare  knees,  tiny  toes,  dilap- 
idated dolls,  some  toy  animals  and  a  photo- 
graph of  me.  Again  the  window  shade  was 
drawn  a  bit  by  Kate,  and  I  saw  that  the  little 

9 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


knees  were  rosy  and  dimpled,  and  one  of  them 
was  raised  in  as  close  resemblance  to  a  right 
angle  as  anything  so  round  and  chubby  could 
be.  It  looked  as  if  made  to  be  eaten  ;  I  know 
I  had  to  restrain  a  cannibalistic  impulse  as  I 
bent  over  and  touched  it  with  my  lips,  very 
softly  and  caressingly,  while  the  Tiger,  whose 
eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  Insect,  whispered 
warningly, 

Takkayite  dettin*  too  bid  !  —  Takkayite 
dettin'  too  bid  !  " 

Kate  drew  me  away  ;  she  said  afterward 
that  she  had  suddenly  remembered  some  bites 
which  I  had  bestowed  upon  her,  my  elder 
sister,  years  before,  on  occasions  when  I  had 
been  overcome  by  sisterly  affection,  so  she 
trembled  for  the  safety  of  her  baby. 

"  Kate,"  I  said,  "  do  tell  me  what  takka- 
yites  are,  and  how  they  are  used.  Better  still, 
show  me  one." 

"  You  awful,  precious  stupid,"  Kate  replied. 
"  Could  any  one  say  *  crack  o'  light  *  plainer 
than  the  Tiger  ? "  Then  Kate  looked  me 
over  critically,  as  if  to  see  whether  I  could  have 
lost  all  the  cleverness  which  she  had  always 
attributed  to  me.    When  I  was  a  little  child, 

lO 


In  the  Tiger's  Lair 


her  younger  and  only  sister,  I  was  brought 
up  "  by  her  quite  as  much  as  by  our  mother, 
and  consequently,  in  those  old  days,  I  was  to 
her  a  sentient  and  glorified  doll-baby  and  an 
indication  of  what  her  own  children  would  be, 
when  she  had  acquired  them.  Her  eyes  be- 
came so  searching  that  I  had  to  be  either 
defiant  or  affectionate  ;  of  course  I  chose  the 
latter,  for  Kate  was  the  best  sister  that  ever 
lived,  so  I  threw  my  arms  about  her  and  said : 
*  Takkayite  '  —  *  crack  o'  light '  —  Why, 
they're  as  like  as  two  peas  !  But  'tis  so  long 
since  I've  heard  any  baby-talk, — not  since  you 
and  I  had  a  full  vocabulary  of  it,  though  we  were 
old  enough  to  have  dropped  it  years  before." 

"  Old  enough,  indeed  ! "  Kate  exclaimed, 
her  face  losing  a  dozen  years  while  she  spoke. 
**  I've  been  talking  the  delightful  old  nonsense 
over  again  ever  since — oh,  ever  since  the  Tiger 
was  an  hour  old." 

And  your  husband  hasn't  begun  divorce 
proceedings  ?  " 

"  The  idea  !  Harry's  as  much  of  a  baby  as 
I,  when  he's  talking  with  the  children." 

How  strange  ! "  I  murmured,  as  my  mind 
went  backward  a  few  years  in  search  of  Harry 

II 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Lintrey  as  he  was  when  first  I  saw  him — a 
young  man  not  long  out  of  college.  He  had 
gone  west  with  the  intention  of  overcoming 
the  country  and  winning  a  fortune,  but  he  had 
been  overcome  by  malaria  and  afterward  he 
won  Kate  while  he  was  trying  to  recover  his 
health  in  our  life-giving  mountain  air.  I  knew 
him  to  be  all  that  was  good,  for  Kate  said  he 
was,  but  to  me  he  had  always  seemed  a  mass — 
a  mountain — of  dignified  self-importance,  and 
his  speech  was  as  painfully,  exasperatingly  ex- 
act as  that  of  any  newly-fledged  teacher  from 
whom  I  had  suffered  at  school.  The  thought 
of  such  a  being  dropping  into  baby-talk  was 
so  amusing  that  I  indulged  in  a  fit  of  laughter. 
Kate  seemed  surprised,  and  as  I  feared  that 
she  would  read  my  thoughts  and  become  in- 
dignant I  made  haste  to  explain  by  saying : 

"  A  large  Indian  reservation  school  not  far 
from  us  is  going  to  make  an  entire  change  of 
teachers.  What  a  pity  that  Harry  and  you 
can't  accept  the  responsibility  !  The  little  red- 
skins talk  very  like  the  Tiger,  so  if  you  and 
Harry  indulge  in  the  same  jargon  " 

Kate  stopped  me  with  an  outburst  of  her 
physical  self  that  reminded  me  of  old  times, 
when  we  were  rural  romps  together, 

12 


CHAPTER  III 


A  New  Acquaintance 

"  Why  didn't  you  telegraph  us  that  you 
were  coming?"  Harry  asked,  as  we  rose  from 
dinner  (which  I,  in  Western  fashion,  persisted 
in  calUng  ''supper").  If  I'd  known  you 
were  coming  to-day  I  wouldn't  for  anything 
have  invited  an  acquaintance  to  drop  in  this 
evening." 

'*  Oh,  Harry,"  moaned  Kate.      Who  is  he  ?  " 

"No  one  dreadful,"  was  the  reply,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  a  good  fellow,  whom  I  think  Nell 
will  like.  In  fact,  'tis  only  Wayne  Stryver, 
brother  of  your  friend,  Mrs.  Lyle.  Besides,  he 
is  to  come  into  our  office  as  a  general  assistant, 
and  afterward  to  go  West  or  South  where 
some  of  our  mining  interests  may  need  a  man 
from  the  office,  so  I  want  to  make  much  of 
him,  aside  from  the  fact  that  he's  a  graduate  of 
my  own  Alma  Mater  and  a  member  of  the 
Greek-letter  society  of  which  I  was  a  bright 
and  shining  light.    He's  at  least  half  a  dozen 

13 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


years  my  junior,  but  he's  a  manly,  hearty  chap, 
and  a  gentleman,  too." 

*'  He's  always  welcome  here,"  said  Kate, 
"but  you  must  do  all  the  entertaining  this 
evening,  for  Nell  and  I  have  still  oceans  of 
things  to  talk  about  before  we  can  think  of 
sleeping." 

It  shall  be  as  you  wish,  my  dear,  but 
you'll  at  least  let  me  introduce  him  to  Nell.  A 
single  glance  at  such  a  young  woman  should 
be  worth  an  hour  of  ordinary  society." 

Spare  Nell's  blushes  ! "  said  Kate,  at  the 
same  time  looking  at  me  so  admiringly  that  I 
stole  a  glance  at  myself  in  the  sideboard  mir- 
ror. Naturally  I  was  not  sorry  that  my  cheeks 
had  not  lost  any  mountainside  color  with  which 
they  had  started  from  home,  that  my  eyes 
were  bright,  and  my  hair,  despite  some  uncon- 
ventional rearrangement  by  the  Tiger  and  the 
Insect,  was  not  unbecoming. 

Kate  and  I  passed  to  the  children's  room — 
a  mere  little  closet  of  one  of  the  chopped-up 
floors  which  New  Yorkers  call  "  flats,"  and  in 
which  most  New  York  people  live,  and  soon 
we  were  gazing,  with  many  exchanges  of  idi- 
otic smiles,  at  the  Tiger  and  the  Insect,  who 

14 


A  New  Acquaintance 


were  putting  their  dolls  to  bed  for  the  night, 
and  doing  it  as  seriously  and  lovingly  as  if  the 
masses  of  plaster  and  wax  and  rags  were  chil- 
dren like  themselves.  Suddenly  the  servant 
brought  in  a  card,  from  which  Kate  read : 
Mr.  Wayne  Stryver." 

We  went  to  the  parlor,  and  I  saw  what  I  ex- 
pected to  see,  and  I  wondered  why  college 
men  of  a  certain  type  should  be  as  alike  as 
grapes  on  a  cluster.  Mr.  Stryver  had  a  large, 
important  face,  and  a  large,  important  voice, 
and  a  large,  important  manner.  I  had  seen 
half-a-dozen  of  his  kind  out  West,  where  they 
had  come  to  enter  business,  and  I  had  mis- 
taken the  earlier  arrivals  for  ministers  until  I 
learned  that  it  was  only  while  making  calls 
that  they  wore  coats  as  long  and  black  as  any 
of  the  reverend  clergy,  though  not  buttoned 
quite  so  high  at  the  throat.  Most  men  spoke 
well  of  them  ;  even  my  father  said  they  might 
make  fine  men  of  themselves,  if  their  sense 
of  importance  could  be  first  dynamited  out  of 
them,  or  otherwise  disposed  of. 

Still,  Mr.  Stryver  was  the  guest  of  my  sister 
and  her  husband.  After  he  had  said  the 
proper  commonplaces  to  Kate,  and  said  them 

15 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


in  a  manner  befitting  a  final  and  conclusive 
opinion  as  to  the  fate  of  nations  and  the  uni- 
verse itself,  he  did  me  the  honor  to  restrict  his 
conversation  almost  entirely  to  me.  He  talked 
of  the  weather,  and  of  railway  travel,  and  of 
some  Western  places  he  had  seen,  and  all  the 
while  his  voice  and  manner  reminded  me  of  all 
other  young  college  men  from  the  East — "  col- 
lege gate-posts,"  we  girls  had  called  them.  He 
also  reminded  me  of  the  audible  exercises  of 
the  male  section  of  the  rhetoric  class  of  our 
high-school  at  home,  in  which  the  older  "  boys  " 
were  really  young  men  and  the  instructor  was 
a  young  man  not  long  out  of  college.  Were  it 
not  enraging,  it  would  have  been  amusing,  be- 
cause so  utterly  unlike  anything  which  my 
elder  brother,  himself  a  college  graduate,  had 
dared  to  attempt  at  home.  And  my  sister's 
husband  once  talked  in  the  same  way,  though 
I  had  already  learned  that  now  he  talked  like 
sane  human  beings. 

A  few  moments  later  Mr.  Stryver  tried  hon- 
estly but  failed  lamentably  to  unbend,  by  talk- 
ing of  golf,  in  which  I  delight,  but  which  he 
treated  as  solemnly  as  if  it  were  a  part  of  the 
straight  and  narrow  way  that  leads  to  eternal 

i6 


A  New  Acquaintance 


life.  Suddenly  there  came  through  the  hall- 
way an  unharmonious  soprano-contralto  wail. 
Kate  flew,  and  I,  glad  of  an  excuse  to  escape 
from  golf  treated  seriously,  excused  myself 
and  dashed  after  her. 

Don't  cry,  mamma's  darlings,"  Kate  was 
saying  as  I  entered  the  nursery. 

"  But  I  wants  to  kwy  ! "  replied  the  Tiger, 
whose  cheeks  were  channelled  with  tears, 
"'tause  I  hurted  de  Insec'." 

Hurted  me  on  de  nose  !  "  wailed  the  Insect, 
whose  ridiculous  apology  for  a  nose  was  very 
red. 

But  Tig  didn't  mean  to  hurt  you,  darling." 
"  But  I  dess  I  did,"  sobbed  the  Tiger,  while 
a  new  flood  of  tears  welled  forth.  Anyhow, 
I  wanted  to  hee  how  de  Insec'  would  look  if 
hyee  hadn't  any  nose  at  all,  hoe  I  banged  my 
head  right  down  on  her  dee  little  hmeller." 

Tiger  !    Do  you  think  that  was  kind  ?" 

No,  I  don't.  Dat's  why  I'm  kwyin'.  Don't 
you  unnertan'  ?  " 

I  fordivved  her,"  said  the  Insect  plain- 
tively ;  then  she  too  turned  on  the  tap  of  tears 
at  full  force  as  she  continued,  but  s'e  s'apped 
me  an'  said  s'e  wouldn't  be  fordivved." 

17 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


I  turned  my  face  to  laugh  unseen,  but  sud- 
denly time  turned  backward  many  years  and 
similar  scenes  between  Kate  and  me  came  hur- 
rying out  of  my  memory  ;  a  second  later  and  I 
was  pressing  my  eyes  with  my  handkerchief. 
Of  course,  this  was  utterly  silly.  Kate,  sup- 
posing I  was  laughing  at  her  darlings,  grasped 
my  shoulders  and  turned  me  with  a  force  that 
did  credit  to  her  mountain-nursed  blood  and 
nerve,  but  when  she  saw  my  eyes  she  embraced 
me,  while  the  Insect  tumbled  from  the  bed 
and  the  Tiger  sprang  at  me,  her  face  chan- 
ging entirely  while  she  said  : 

"Tum  on,  Ince  !  Let's  tumfo't  dee  poo' 
auntie !  Hyee's  dot  twubbles,  too.  Heems 
to  me  ev'rybody's  dot  *em." 

In  an  instant  those  dears  were  simply  swarm- 
ing on  me,  for  although  they  were  but  two 
they  climbed  upon  me  and  about  me  so  rapidly, 
as  I  sank  into  a  low  easy  chair,  and  their  caress- 
ing little  hands  and  warm  puff-balls  of  lips  were 
so  omnipresent  that  it  seemed  as  though  a  score 
of  children  were  upon  me.  And  they  were 
mine  ! — my  nieces  at  least.  A  new  sense  of 
ownership  came  over  me,  and  I  put  my  arms 
closely  about  my  new-found  treasures,  and  the 
Tiger  said : 

l8 


In  an  instant  those  dears  were  simply  swarming  on  me. 


A  New  Acquaintance 


**  Auntie's  laughin'  an  kwyin'  bofe  at  a  time ! 
Ince,  let's  tiss  her  eyes  dwy."  In  an  instant 
their  angelic  lips  were  all  over  my  eyes  and  I 
began  to  deluge  the  children  with  a  lot  of  en- 
dearing names  which  came  to  me  suddenly 
from  I  don't  know  where,  and  they  responded 
in  kind,  until  the  Tiger  threw  back  her  head, 
looked  adoringly  into  my  eyes,  and  exclaimed  : 
You's  just  like  mamma.  Humtimes  hyee 
does  dat  hame  way — laughs  an'  kwyes  at  de 
hame  time.    Only  hyee's  happy  bofe  ways." 

Mamma's  a  dee  fing,"  added  the  Insect, 
while  Kate  leaned  over  me  and  said  : 

**  Nell,  do  control  yourself.  Your  face  will 
be  a  sight  when  we  return  to  the  parlor,  and 

Mr.  Stryver  " 

Oh,  shoot  Mr.  Stryver ! "  I  exclaimed. 
"  And  Nell,  your  children  could  talk  as  plainly 
as  any  others  if  you'd  give  them  a  little  atten- 
tion. The  Tiger  pronounces  her  s  "  and  **  r  " 
distinctly  when  they  are  in  the  body  of  a  word, 
so  of  course  she  could  do  so  at  the  beginning. 
I'm  going  to  make  it  my  duty  to  teach  her  to 
speak  properly." 

**  If  you  do,"  replied  Kate,  with  a  savage 
gesture,     or  if  you  even  attempt  it,  I — why,  I 

19 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


really  believe  I'll  murder  you."  Then  she 
gently  bathed  my  eyes  and  cheeks  with  cold 
water,  and  disentangled  the  children  from  me, 
and  put  them  into  bed  and  cooed  like  a  mother- 
bird  who  has  two  or  three  nurseries  a  year  in 
the  wistaria-vine  over  my  window  at  home. 
Then  she  led  me  to  my  own  room,  and,  looking 
from  behind  me  into  the  mirror,  whispered  : 

Nell,  you're  positively  radiant.  Mr.  Stry- 
ver  will  " 

Kate,"  I  exclaimed  indignantly,  "  if  you 
mention  that  college  gate-post  again  I 
shall  " 

Sh — h — h," — and  Kate  placed  a  hand  on 
my  lips.  "  Walls  have  ears,  in  these  little  bits 
of  apartments." 

"  *  Him  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear,* " 
I  retorted  rudely,  for  the  thought  of  exchange 
ing  the  presence  of  my  cherubic  nieces,  even 
though  they  were  dropping  asleep,  for  that  of 
a  solemn  young  man  to  whom  I  would  be 
obliged  to  be  pleasant  was  enraging.  Kate 
pressed  me  toward  the  parlor ;  evidently  our 
approach  was  unheard,  for  as  we  reached  the 
door  Harry  was  listening  to  and  laughing  at  a 
story  which  Mr.  Stryver  was  telling  gleefully 

20 


A  New  Acquaintance 


and  illustrating  with  gestures  as  devoid  of 
dignity  as  any  boy's  could  have  been.  Kate 
stopped  abruptly  ;  she  said  afterward  that  she 
had  no  patience  with  a  woman  who  would  in- 
terrupt a  story  in  which  her  husband  was 
interested  ;  so  Mr.  Stryver  continued  his 
recital  and  illustration  quite  as  vivaciously  and 
naturally  as  if  he  were  one  of  my  rough-and- 
tumble  younger  brothers  at  home.  So  I  be- 
came interested  in  the  story  itself,  but  sud- 
denly Kate — oh,  why  will  people  select  the 
wrong  time  for  the  unavoidable! — Kate  was 
compelled  to  cough.  Instantly  Mr.  Stryver 
became  once  more  a  college  gate-post  and  re- 
mained so  until  we  were  seated. 


21 


CHAPTER  IV 


Playing  Mamma 

I  WAS  not  slow  in  learning  that  Harry  had 
been  quite  within  bounds  in  writing  my  father 
that  "  Kate  was  very  tired."  Indeed,  how  she 
remained  alive  was  at  first  a  mystery  to  me. 
The  woman  had  been  living  only  for  her  chil- 
dren— and  her  husband,  of  course,  for  she  wor- 
shipped him  with  an  intensity  which  startled  me 
at  times.  But  there  was  a  difference  ;  in  some 
mysterious  way  she  became  stronger  hour  by 
hour  while  Harry  was  at  home,  and  not  only 
because  he  was  unwearying  in  trying  to  relieve 
her  of  care.  She  gave  forth  all  that  she  had 
gained,  however,  and  more  beside,  in  her  long 
day  with  the  children.  To  me  she  was  tender 
and  loving  as  ever,  and  she  wanted  to  know 
anew  of  all  the  home  life  that  she  had  left 
when  she  married ;  but  often,  when  I  was  re- 
sponding to  her  demands,  I  could  see  she  was 
not  listening  to  me.  I  would  be  turning  my 
heart  inside  out  to  her,  as  a  girl  can  do  only  to 
a  loving  sister,  but  at  times  it  was  plain  that 

22 


Playing  Mamma 


she  was  not  interested  in  what  was  most  in- 
teresting to  me,  and  her  head  was  generally 
posed  like  that  of  our  family's  favorite  guide 
when  we  went  hunting  in  the  wild  country  up 
the  valley — a  pose  that  suggested  alert  and 
endless  listening  for  something  that  was  not 
impending  yet  might  occur. 

Soon  I  learned  the  meaning  of  it ;  it  meant 
that  the  children  might  "do  something." 
What  this  something  might  be  I  never  could 
imagine,  for  the  children  were  disembodied 
saints  compared  with  any  other  little  girls  I 
had  known.  They  amused  themselves  by  the 
hour,  and  Harry  had  encouraged  their  mother 
to  leave  them  undisturbed  at  their  play.  They 
never  quarrelled  with  Norah,  Kate's  dainty 
little  maid  of  all  work,  who  was  devoted  to 
them ;  they  never  even  elicited  a  scream  or  a 
scratch  from  Snoozer,  the  family  cat,  though 
they  handled  that  dignified  animal  frequently 
and  freely.  But  Kate  explained  that  they  had 
inherited  investigating  tendencies  from  their 
father ;  his  professional  duties  compelled  him 
to  pry  into  many  of  the  secrets  of  the  universe, 
and  as  he  longed  to  know  the  why  and  where- 
fore of  everything,  so  did  they. 

23 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Their  imagination  takes  entire  control  of 
them  at  times,"  said  Kate.  "  They  never  do 
anything  bad,  but — oh,  such  dreadful  things  ! " 

Every  day,  when  the  weather  was  not  bad, 
Kate  and  I  took  them  into  a  park  in  front  of 
the  house  for  an  airing  and  for  exercise, 
though  their  evening  romps  with  their  father 
would  have  been  sufficient  exercise  for  any 
ordinary  children.  This  park  was  proportioned 
like  a  shoestring,  with  much  length  and  very 
little  breadth.  It  was  also,  like  a  tiny  Asiatic 
kingdom  described  in  one  of  Kipling's  stories, 

principally  on  edge,"  but  its  rockiness  was 
delightful  to  Kate  and  me  as  a  reminder  of 
home.  Here  we  would  turn  the  children  loose 
while  we  chatted  of  old  times,  but  never  would 
Kate  lose  her  alert,  apprehensive  manner. 
It  was  of  no  use  for  me  to  explain  that  if 
the  children  bruised  their  precious  fingers  on 
out-cropping  rocks,  or  scratched  their  angelic 
faces  while  trying  to  follow  a  bird  into  a 
thicket,  or  rolled  down  a  grassy  slope  to  be 
stopped  thumpingly  by  a  rocky  pathway, 
they  were  merely  following  the  early  Western 
example  of  their  mother  and  aunt,  and  would 
laugh  at  their  little  mishaps  as  we  had  done. 

24 


Playing  Mamma 


Kate  admitted  frankly  that  we  had  never  been 
any  the  worse  for  our  outdoor  pranks,  but 
she  explained  that  her  own  children — well, 
not  exactly  that  they  were  of  better  clay  than 
their  mother,  but  they  were,  oh,  so  different. 
It  was  plain  that  if  the  dear  girl  was  to  get 
any  rest  and  relief  through  me  I  would  have 
to  pretend  to  be  of  her  way  of  thinking.  Of 
course  it  would  be  rank  hypocrisy,  but  what 
will  not  a  whole-hearted  girl  do  for  her  only 
married  sister  ? 

I  succeeded  so  well  that  within  three  days 
Kate  intrusted  the  children  entirely  to  me 
while  she  took  late  morning  naps,  and  I  had 
been  with  her  but  a  scant  week  when  Harry 
took  her  to  the  Catskills  for  a  few  days  of 
entire  rest.  But  her  going  was  the  result 
of  a  conspiracy.  Harry  came  home  at  noon 
one  day  to  say  .  that  he  must  take  a  vacation 
then  or  never,  and  that  he  would  not  go  with- 
out his  wife  ;  meanwhile  I  had  planned  to 
pack  Kate's  trunk  quickly,  having  learned 
where  and  what  was  everything  that  should  go 
into  it.  When  Kate  hung  back  affrighted,  on 
account  of  the  children,  I  assumed  an  offended 
air,  and  glibly  rattled  off  every  detail  of  their 

25 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


daily  needs,  from  waking  till  bed-time, 
until  the  dear  girl  smiled  approvingly  and 
closed  her  eyes  blissfully,  as  if  she  might 
really  trust  herself  to  take  the  rest  she  needed. 

Besides,"  said  she,  as  if  talking  to  herself, 
"  Norah  knows  just  when  and  how  to  prepare 
their  food,  and  our  doctor  lives  but  two 
minutes  away,  and  Norah  would  not  be  afraid 
to  go  for  him  at  night.    But  " 

"  But  what  ? — you  dear  old  fuss  ?  " 

"  But  there's  the  putting  of  them  to  bed." 
Which  you  know  they've  let  me  attend  to, 
two  entire   times.      A   sister    that  doesn't 
appreciate  what  a  sister  can  do,  and  is  delighted 
to  do  for  her,  doesn't  deserve  a  sister." 

Kate  threw  her  arms  about  me  and  mur- 
mured : 

The  dear  little  things  have  learned  to  adore 

you,  but  " 

"  But  what? — ^you  self-destroying  idiot  ?  " 

But  I've  never  been  away  from  them — 
not  since  the  Tiger  was  born."  And  Kate 
burst  into  tears. 

Then  'tis  time  you  began  to  make  a 
change.  Who  cared  for  the  Tiger  when  the 
Insect  floated  down  from  heaven?" 

26 


Playing  Mamma 


Harry  did.    But  " 

"  But  Harry,"  said  the  owner  of  the  name, 

doesn't  seem  to  be  thought  worthy  of  even 
a  vacation,  unless  he  goes  alone,  which  he 
won't — not  if  he  must  even  die  for  lack  of  it." 
Kate  showed  signs  of  weakening,  so  Harry 
continued.  "  Even  now  he's  going  to  lose  a 
full  day  of  it,  unless  he  starts  at  once.  The 
carriage  is  at  the  door  and  the  trunks  can 
follow  by  express." 

Kate  looked  at  the  children  as  if  wondering 
whether  she  really  could  bring  herself  to  part 
with  them.  She  covered  them  with  convulsive 
kisses  which  elicited  small  response,  for  the 
children  were  preparing  their  dolls  for  the 
afternoon  nap  which  these  mock-infants  were 
supposed  to  take. 

Harry  hurried  her  downstairs,  whispering, 
**  Don't  dare  to  say  good-by  to  them,"  and  I 
hung  out  of  the  window,  wishing  my  sister 
blessings  innumerable  and  getting  frantic  hand- 
waves  in  return. 

When  the  carriage  had  disappeared  from 
view  I  instinctively  turned  my  face  westward — 
homeward,  and  encountered  a  breeze  as  dust- 
less  and  invigorating  as  if  it  had  come  direct 

27 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


from  my  native  hills — as  I  didn't  doubt  it  had, 
so  I  asked  some  questions  of  it ;  one  can  safely 
ask  information  of  an  honest  breeze,  and  it 
whispered  in  my  ear,  or  I  imagined  it  did,  and 
I  began  to  be  homesick,  for  the  first  time  since 
my  arrival.  Suddenly  the  breeze  rallied  me 
by  threatening  to  unloose  my  hair  and  carry  it 
away,  so  I  withdrew  my  head,  the  motion 
being  hastened  by  a  suspicion  that  the  cat 
Snoozer  had  been  trying  for  a  moment  or  two 
to  climb  my  skirt.  As  I  passed  a  hand  down- 
ward to  dislodge  the  animal  I  encountered  a 
warm  little  hand,  and  I  saw  the  Tiger's  eyes 
dancing  against  a  mass  of  golden  hair  all 
a-blow,  and  I  heard  the  Tiger  say  : 

"  Your  head  looks  like  de  wind  been  playin' 
hide-an'-doe-heek  in  it." 

So  does  yours,  you  precious  sprite.  How 
did  it  come  so  ?  " 

Oh,  I  hunged  out  de  window,  too." 

"You  dreadful  child!  You  might  have 
fallen  and  been  killed." 

Oh,  I  dess  not.  I  had  tight  hold  of  your 
tloses.  But  de  dolls  has  all  dawn  to  bleep. 
Tum  hee  'em." 

I  went  into  the  nursery,  and  saw,  lying  on  a 

23 


Playing  Mamma 


toy  bed,  a  lot  of  dolls  of  all  ages  and  con- 
ditions of  doll-life.  The  Tiger  bestowed  a 
motherly  touch  upon  two  or  three  of  them, 
and  said  : 

"  When  dey's  dawn  to  bed  it's  time  for  de 
Insec'  to  take  her  nap,  but  I  tant  find  mamma 
to  fix  her.    I  wonder  where  hyee's  dawn  to  ?  " 

As  she  spoke  she  looked  so  searchingly  into 
my  eyes  that  I  trembled,  for  I  remembered 
that  nothing  had  been  said  to  the  children 
about  the  length  of  Kate's  absence.  It  seemed 
necessary  to  explain  quickly,  so  I  said  : 

Mamma  had  to  make  a  little  trip  to  the 
country  in  a  great  hurry,  and  she  was  sure 
that  you  and  Ince  would  be  willing  that  auntie 
should  take  care  of  you  until  her  return.  And 
won't  we  have  fun  ? — I  playing  mamma,  and 
you  and  Ince  making  believe  that  you  belong 
to  me?" 

The  Tiger  looked  doubtful,  so  I  took  her  in 
my  arms  and  kissed  her  and  caressed  her  and 
tickled  her,  and  soon  we  were  enjoying  a  hila- 
rious gale  of  our  own  making.    But  we  were 
interrupted  by  a  plaintive  wail  of : 
Mam— ma." 
"  Tuni  along !    I'll  tell  her  'bout  it,"  said 
29 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


the  Tiger,  tugging  me  toward  the  nursery, 
where,  in  a  motherly  manner  which  was  an 
amusing  and  touching  imitation  of  Nell's  own, 
she  said,  Dee  little  Insec',  mamma's  dawn 
out,  an'  hyee's  doin'  to  let  us  play  dat  Aunt 
Nell  is  mamma.  Won't  dat  be  fun  ?  " 
No,  'twon't.    I  wants  my  mamma." 

**  Be  a  dood  dirl,  Insec',"  said  the  Tiger,  in 
wonderful  imitation  of  her  mother's  tone  and 
manner,  "an'  we'll  hee  how  nice  Auntie  Nell 
tan  mate-b'lieve  mamma." 

Don't  want  no  ol'  mate-believe  mamma ! 
Wants  my  real,  only,  very  mamma,"  the  Insect 
wailed,  before  burying  her  face  in  her  pillow, 
and  kicking  the  air  and  twitching  her  shoulders 
and  back  in  a  manner  that  reminded  me  of 
one  of  our  colts  at  home  in  his  first  protest 
against  bridle  and  saddle.  I  leaned  over  her, 
and  I  know  that  all  the  tenderness  that  is  in 
my  nature  was  in  my  voice,  as  I  said : 

"  My  dear  little  Ince  " 

I  ain't  your  dee'.    I'se  mamma's." 

I  took  one  of  her  hands  in  both  of  mine  and 
kissed  it  gently  several  times — quickly,  but 
the  Insect  turned  on  the  bed  as  suddenly  as  if 
she  had  received  an  electric  shock,  and  her 

30 


*'  Dee  little  Insec\  mamma* s  dawn  out.'" 


Playing  Mamma 


other  hand  gave  me  a  slap  that  was  amazingly 
great  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  child. 
I  sprang  up — hurt,  indignant  and  humiliated 
in  body  and  mind. 

"  De  real  mamma  never  1  oks  dat  way," 
said  the  Tiger,  whose  eyes  had  been  fastened 
upon  me  disapprovingly. 

Indeed?  And  does  the  real  m^mma  ever 
receive  such  treatment  from  the  Insect  ? — the 

little  beast?    And  if   she  doe^  "  here  I 

raised  my  hand,  opened  to  its  full  capacity, 

 "  how  hard  a  spanking  does  the  Insect  re- 

ceive  ? 

The  child  looked  horrified ;  then  her  face 
grew  pale  and  her  plump  lips  became  a 
bloodless  line  as  she  replied  : 

"  If  you  dare  to  'pank  de  Insec'  " — here  she 
extended  her  hand  toward  a  match-safe — "  I'll 
light  a  match  at  you  an'  het  you  all  afire." 

Though  I  had  been  trained  t  be  afraid  of 
no  one  but  my  par^^nts,  I  retreated  to  a 
corner  and  hid  my  face  in  my  hands. 

"  Are  you  'fraid, — hones'  an'  truly,  or  only 
make-b'lieve  'fraid  ?  "  the  Tiger  asked. 

"  Neither,  Tig,"  I  replied.  I'm  merely 
heart-broken." 

31 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Doodness  dracious  !  "  the  Tiger  exclaimed. 
Dat's  jus'  what  mamma  hed  de  time  papa 
had  to  be  away  from  home  for  free  whole  days. 
I  dess  we'se  dot  to  do  for  you  what  we  done 
for  mamma  dat  time.  Tum  on,  I  nee — twick  ! 
Let's  play  papa." 

How  they  managed  it  I  can't  imagine,  but 
in  a  moment  they  had  pushed  me  upon  the 
bed  and  were  caressing  me  and  purring  a 
great  assortment  of  endearing  names,  which 
they  had  probably  learned  from  their  father. 
It  was  all  so  unexpected  that  I  remained 
entirely  quiet  for  several  moments ;  and  I 
wondered  whether  Kate  and  I  in  our  juvenile 
days  had  been  such  strange  compounds  of 
savagery  and  sweetness.  But  I  did  not 
forget  my  original  purpose,  which  was  to 
**  play  mamma  "  to  the  Insect.  I  stole  an  arm 
about  her  and  succeeded  in  pillowing  her 
head  on  my  other  arm,  and  in  cuddling  her 
face  up  to  my  throat,  into  which  she  began 
to  breathe  softly  and  regularly.  A  motion  of 
her  free  arm  put  me  on  guard  for  an  instant, 
but  a  little  hand  stole  softly  over  my  cheek, 
and  slowly  the  little  thumb  and  fingers 
crumpled  themselves  on  the  lobe  of  my  ear. 

32 


Playing  Mamma 


The  Tiger  had  become  silent,  but  I  knew 
that  she  was  leaning  over  me.  Soon  she 
whispered  softly  : 

"  I  dess  hyee's  all  wight  now.  Hyee  never 
'tarts  to  take  her  nap  without  feeling  mamma's 
ear.    I  dess  you  tan  det  up  now." 

But  I  did  not  wish  to  get  up.  My  short 
life  seemed  very  long  as  I  looked  backward 
at  the  many  pets  I  had  owned — dolls,  kittens, 
rabbits,  birds,  dogs,  squirrels  and  other 
creatures  from  which  I  had  been  almost 
inseparable,  while  they  lived,  but  all  of  them 
combined  were  not  so  warm  and  cunning  and 
tender  and  sweet  and  precious  and — oh, 
everything,  as  the  atom  of  humanity  that  was 
breathing  warmly  into  my  neck  and  all  the 
way  down  to  my  heart. 


33 


CHAPTER  V 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 

I  WAS  roused  from  the  longest,  most 
delicious  day-dream  I  had  ever  known  by  the 
Insect  turning  in  her  sleep  and  rolling  to 
the  other  side  of  the  bed.  Then  I  saw  the 
Tiger  kneeling  in  a  chair  and  looking  down  at 
both  of  us. 

*'You  poor  dear,"  I  said,  after  we  had  left 
the  room.  "  Your  Auntie  Nell  was  a  brute  to 
lie  there  enjoying  herself  and  leaving  you 
alone." 

"Oh,  I  wasn't  alone,"  was  the  reply,  "for  I 
had  lots  of  lovely  finks  for  tump'ny,  for  I  was 
playin'  mamma  too,  an'  making  b'lieve  dat  bofe 
of  you  was  my  best  dollies." 

I  chanced  to  see  the  reflection  of  my  rather 
broad  shoulders  in  the  mirror,  so  I  said,  with 
a  laugh  and  a  yawn. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  found  me  a  rather  large 
doll." 

"  I  didn't,  at  all.  Anyfin's  easy,  when  you's 
jus'  makin'  b'lieve,  if  you  let  de  make-b'lieve 

34 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


have  its  own  way.  Dat's  what  papa  hays, 
when  he  an  mamma  makes  b'lieve  dey's  dot  a 
house  all  of  deir  own.  So  dey  have  de  house 
wiv  lots  of  rooms  an'  a  bid  flower-darden  all 

over  de  roof.    Humtimes  " 

The  doorbell  clanged  violently  and  Norah 
brought  in  a  despatch  addressed  to  me. 
Visions  of  everything  dreadful  that  might 
have  happened  at  home — and  home  was  so  far 
away — came  to  me  and  made  my  hands  a- 
tremble  as  I  tore  the  envelope.  My  brothers 
were  as  venturesome  as  boys  in  general ;  my 
father  often  went  into  mines  which  he  knew 
were  dangerous,  and  he  liked  to  ride  spirited 
horses,  and  my  mother  liked  to  ride  with  him, 
so  anything  might  have  happened.  The 
despatch  was  dated  from  the  New  York  side 
of  a  railway  company's  ferry  and  read  as 
follows : — 

"  Don't  give  the  children  sweets  with  their  supper." 

Kate. 

"  I  wish  I  could  get  hold  of  your  mother  ;  "  I 
exclaimed  so  savagely  that  the  Tiger  glared  at 
me  suspiciously  and  demanded,  in  the  deepest 
notes  of  her  very  deep  voice, 

**  What  would  you  do  to  her  ?  " 

35 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


-  I'd— I'd— I'd  hug  her  head  off." 
Oh,  dat's  noffin',"  the  Tiger  repHed,  as  she 
became  her  lamb-Hke  self  again.    "  I  wants  to 
do  dat  all  de  whole  time.    Ain't  hyee  dee'  ?  " 
Indeed  she  is." 
"  Tell  you  what  let's  do.    Let's  play  bidder 
an'  bidder." 

I  had  never  heard  of  the  game,  so  I  said : 

What  do  we  play  it  with  ? " 
"  Why,   wiv   our   moufs,    of   tourse.  De 
Insec'  an'  me  plays  it  lots  of  times.    First,  you 
tell  humfin'  weal  nice  dat  mamma  is,  an'  den 

I'll  tell  humfin'  nicer  an'  bidder,  an'  den  " 

Oh — '  bigger  and  bigger  '  ? " 
Yes ;    dats    what    I    hed ; — bidder  and 
bidder." 

Let  me  see  ; — she's  the  dearest  sister  in  the 
world  " 

An'  de  best  mamma  " 

And  the  sweetest  woman  " 

Hweeter  dan  tandy  " 

Again  the  bell  clanged,  and  Norah  brought 
me  another  despatch.    This,  surely,  must  be 
from  home.    What  could  have   happened  ? 
I  opened  it  and  read : 
"  Nor  sweets  at  bedtime  either."  Kate. 

36 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


I  laughed  as  I  crumpled  the  paper,  and  the 
Tiger  said  : 

I  dess  you  dot  a  funny  letter." 

Indeed  I  did,  and  from  a  precious  lunatic, 
too." 

"  Dat's  funny,"  and  the  Tiger  looked  remi- 
niscent. "  Dat  s  what  papa  humtimes  calls 
mamma." 

Your  papa  is  evidently  a  very  sensible 
man.  Tig." 

Dat's  what  he  is.  Why,  mamma  hays  dat 
if  people  knowed  how  hmart  papa  is  dey'd 
make  him  Pres'dent  of  de  'Nited  'Tates.  But 
hyee's  made  him  promise  dat  he  won't  ever  let 
'em,  'tause  folks  hays  mean  fings  'bout  pres'- 
dents,  an'  if  dey  ever  hed  bad  fings  'bout  papa 
hyee'd  want  to  murder  *em,  an'  'tain't  wight  to 
want  to  murder  people,  an'  papa  hays  it  ain't 
ladylike,  neiver.  Do  you  fink  it's  ladylike  fo' 
Hnoozer  to  kill  birdies  in  de  park?  " 

I — I  can't  say  that  I  do,  though  I  don't 
see  the  application,  for  Snoozer  is  only  a  cat." 

But  hyee's  a  lady  tat ;  hyee  had  a  whole 
lot  of  little  children  one  time.  An'  de  Insec' 
an'  me  loved  'em  hoe  hard  dat  dey  died. 
Papa  hed  dey'd  be  a  lot  happier  dat  way,  an'  dat 

37 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


too  much  'fection  ain't  dood  for  tats  an'  tit- 
tens,  an  'dat's  why  Hnoozer  yowls,  an'  digs 
her  tlawses  into  our  pawses  when  we  hugs  her 
hard.    Has  you  dot  a  tat  at  your  house  ?  " 

Yes,  dear ;  a  wild-cat — but  tis  stuffed. 
We  prefer  them  that  way." 

*'  How  funny  !  Humtimes  we  'tuff  Hnoozer, 
but  it  divs  her  a  tummat-ate." 

**A  despatch,  miss,"  said  Norah,  entering 
with  the  familiar  yellow  envelope,  which  I 
could  now  open  without  fear.    I  read  : 

"  Don't  forget  that  the  Tiger  is  very  sensitive.** 

Kate. 

**  Heems  to  me  you  dets  lots  of  letters,"  said 
the  Tiger.  Is  dey  all  from  your  hweet- 
heart?" 

N  yes,  dear ;  from  the  sweetest  kind  of 

a  sweetheart." 

"  Dat's  dood,  'tause  I  heard  mamma  tell 
papa  dat  hyee  wished  hyee  knew  if  you  had 
one,  an  '  hyee  hoped  you  had,  'tause  'twas  all 
you  needed  to  make  you  perfect.  But  hyee 
hed  de  hweetheart  would  have  to  be  as  hweet 
as  papa,  or  it  wouldn't  do.    Is  it  ?" 

**  Yes,  dear  "  though  I  suspect  I  frowned 

38 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


at  Kate's  reported  opinion  as  to  my  chief 
need,  for  the  Tiger  said  : 

Den  I  don't  see  why  you're  makin*  such  an 
awful  face  'bout  it.  An'  I  wish  de  Insec' 
would  wake  up." 

Tig,  dear,  let  the  precious  little  sister  rest 
while  she  will." 

"  Oh,  I  wouldn't  wake  her  for  anyfin',  but  I 
do  want  to  hear  the  'tory." 

Tory  ? — tory  ? — oh  ! — story.  What  kind 
of  story  do  you  expect,  and  from  whom  ?  " 

**  From  de  Insec',  of  tourse,  but  I  don't 
know  what  tynd  it'll  be.  De  Insec*  always 
brings  one,  an'  humtimes  two  or  free,  back 
from  Napland  wiv  her.  You  know  what  a 
djeam  is,  don't  you  ?  " 

**  Oh,  yes  ;  every  one  does." 

"  Oh,  no,  dey  don't.  De  Insec'  don't ; 
mamma  hays  hyee's  too  young  to  have  'em 
'plained  to  her.  Whenever  hyee  djeams 
anyfin',  hyee  finks  it  happened,  an'  it's  lots  of 
fun  to  hear  her  tell  'bout  it,  when  de  djeams 
is  dood  to  de  Insec'.  One  time  mamma  was 
awful  sad  'tause  humbody  hed  hyee  ought  to 
'plain  to  me  'bout  Hanta  Tlaus,  but — dood- 
ness,  I  didn't  have  to  be  told,  for  I  dessed  it" 

39 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Guessed  what — and  how  ?  " 

Dessed  dere  wasn't  any  man  named  Hanta 
Tlaus  !  'Tause  no  sleigh  could  doe  across 
houses  an'  back  yards,  an'  no  man  tould  climb 
down  our  chimney,  'tause  it's  hoe  hmall  dat 
my  head  won't  doe  up  it.  Hoe  I  asked  papa, 
an'  he  looked  sad-like,  an'  I  asked  mamma, 
an'  hyee  wouldn't  talk  'bout  it  an'  tell  who 
really  brought  de  Trismas  presents.  An'  I 
finked  a  whole  lot  'bout  it,  an'  one  day  I  finked 
all-a-hudden,  '  No  man  knows  what  I  want 
for  Trismas  presents  'cept  papa,  hoe  Hanta 
Tlaus  is  jus'  my  papa,  makin'  b'lieve,  an'  of 
tourse  papa's  nicer  dan  any  old  waindeer 
man.'  Hoe  I've  never  felt  bad  'bout  it  after- 
wards." 

**  Miaou w ! — Miaouw ! — Miaouw  !  "  came  a 
kittenish  sound  from  the  direction  of  th% 
nursery.  The  Tiger  clapped  her  hands  and 
exclaimed  : 

**  De  Insec's  awake,  an'  I'll  bet  hyee's 
djeamed  'bout  tats  !  You  must  make  believe 
a  whole  lot  now,  for  " 

**  A  despatch,  miss,"  said  Norah.  Appar- 
ently Kate  was  dropping  them  from  stations 
along  the  railway.    This  newest  one  read  : 

40 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 

"Try  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  children  are  very 
imaginative.    Don't  try  to  change  them.'*  Kate, 

"  Miaouw  ! — Miaouw  ! — Miaouw  !  "  sounded 
nearer,  and  the  Insect  trotted  into  the  room, 
bringing  with  her  a  face  like  a  rose  in  the  first 
rays  of  the  sun. 

"What  do  you  fink  I  haw?"  she  asked, 
stopping  in  front  of  us  and  laughing  merrily. 

''Tell  us  all  about  it,"  exclaimed  the  Tiger, 
as  she  gave  my  arm  a  warning  pinch. 

"  Oh,  I  haw  a  whole  lot  of  tats  hittin'  up 
like  folks,  in  chairs  'round  a  dinin'-room  table, 
an'  havin'  a  tea-party.  Dey  had  tea-cups  of 
warm  milk,  an'  plates  of  mouse-sandwiches." 

I  shuddered ;  the  Tiger  pinched  my  arm 
warningly  till  I  wanted  to  scream,  but  I  forced 
a  smile  and  said  : 

Go  on,  dear.  Mou — ou- — ou — ouse  sand- 
wiches ?  " 

''  Yes,  an'  de  mouses  had  dee  little  tayals. 
An'  de  tats  all  had  tayals  too,  an'  de  tayals 
kep'  fwinging  wound  de  chairs,  as  if  dey  was 
hayin',  *  Ain't  I  dlad  I  tame  to  dis  tea-party  ? ' 
An'  after  dey  dot  up  from  de  table  dey  had  a 
dance,  an'  after  de  dance  de  djentlemen-tats 
bwought  de  lady  tats  lemonade,  an'  tea,  an' 

41 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


toffee,  an'  take,  an'  dey  was  jus'  doein'  to  put 
on  deir  fings  an'  have  a  nice  long  talk  in  de 
hall  before  doein'  away,  an' — an'  den  I  didn't 
hee  noffin'.  An'  I'd  like  to  know  why  I 
didn't?" 

The  question  was  addressed  to  me,  but  the 
Tiger  answered  : 

**  P'raps  dey's  doein'  to  let  you  hee  'em  again 
to-morrow,  dear." 

"  Despatch,  miss,"  said  Norah  again.  It 
read  as  follows  : 

"  Don't  ever  give  them  paregoric.  Soothing  per- 
sonal influence  always  answers  the  purpose." 

Kate. 

Paregoric,  indeed  !  The  little  dears  were 
welcome  to  lie  awake  as  long  and  as  late  as  I. 
I  had  just  begun  to  wonder  what  I  could  do 
to  interest  them,  w^hen  one  of  Kate's  acquaint- 
ances called,  and  was  quickly  followed  by 
another,  and  I  learned  from  them  that  it  was 
Kate's  customary  day  "at  home."  I  did  my 
best,  as  temporary  lady  of  the  house,  and  they 
were  glad  to  learn  that  my  sister  was  to  have 
some  rest  and  a  change,  and  as  one  of  them 
was  a  middle-aged  lady  with  no  children,  and 
therefore  knew  everything  about  the  care  and 

42 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


training  of  little  girls,  I  was  compelled  to  lis- 
ten to  a  ten-minute  lecture  on  juvenile  dress, 
diet,  taste,  and  temper,  with  some  digressions 
on  kindergarten  fads.  The  lecture  might 
have  been  longer  had  there  not  bounded  into 
the  parlor  a  small  creature  in  red  coat,  trou- 
sers, shoes,  gloves,  and  cap. 

**  Bless  me,"  exclaimed  the  middle-aged 
lady,  dropping  her  glasses  and  her  subject, 
and  standing  in  her  chair.  I  didn't  know 
that  Mrs.  Lintrey  kept  a  monkey." 

The  animal  stopped,  looked  at  both  visitors, 
came  over  toward  me,  raised  its  head,  dis- 
playing the  face  of  the  cat  Snoozer,  and  utter- 
ing an  appealing : 
Miaouw  ! " 

A  sound  like  the  tramping  of  horses  was 
wafted  in  from  the  hall  and  after  it  came  the 
Tiger  and  the  Insect.  Snoozer  heard  them 
and  prepared  to  spring,  though  apparently 
uncertain  of  her  covered  paws.  When  she 
saw  the  children  she  sneaked  under  the  divan, 
where  she  was  quickly  followed  by  my  nieces, 
who  crawled  so  far  that  nothing  of  them  was 
visible  but  shoe-soles.  Probably  a  struggle 
ensued,  for  we  heard  an  emphatic  "  S — s — 

43 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


s — spt"  and  a  howl  and  a  wail,  and  some 
bumping  of  heads  against  the  floor.  Then 
Snoozer  reappeared  with  her  cap  awry,  and 
fire  in  her  eye,  and  a  button  or  two  of  her 
jacket  loose,  and  one  of  her  shoes  off,  though, 
dragging.  The  children's  knowledge  of  the 
ways  of  cats  had  prompted  them  to  draw  the 
portieres  close,  in  default  of  a  door,  when  they 
entered,  and  the  cat  had  believed  her  cus- 
tomary way  of  escape  barred,  for  she  sprang 
into  the  middle-aged  lady's  chair  and  hid  be- 
hind the  scarcely  visible  feet,  which  feet,  with 
all  that  was  superincumbent  upon  them, 
quickly  sought  the  floor  and  hurried  away, 
with  scant  leave-taking.  As  she  escaped, 
followed  by  Snoozer,  she  collided  with  Norah, 
who  entered  and  said : 
A  despatch,  miss." 

"Pardon  me?"  I  said  to  the  remaining 
caller,  a  young  married  woman,  who  seemed 
greatly  amused  by  what  she  had  seen,  and  who 
endeavored  to  console  the  children.  The  des- 
patch read : 

"  Don't  at  any  time  fear  that  the  children  will  do 
anything  they  shouldn't."  Kate. 

I  crumpled  the  despatch  and  tried  to  think 
44 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


only  of  my  duty  as  Kate's  substitute,  but  I 
fear  that  the  Snoozer  incident  remained  fresh 
in  my  mind  and  I  know  that  Kate's  latest 
despatch  was  lamentably  ill-timed.  The 
caller  looked  at  me  with  eyes  full  of  laughter 
and  said  : 

"  You  look  like  a  tragedy  queen,  my  dear, 
and  I  wish  you  wouldn't.  I  think  'twas  real 
funny.  I've  children  of  my  own,  and  they're 
very  like  your  nieces." 

She  said  it  so  sweetly,  yet  with  a  voice  in 
which  each  word  seemed  a  bubble  of  fun,  that 
despite  my  indignation  I  laughed,  which 
relieved  her  of  the  last  vestige  of  restraint,  so 
we  laughed  together  and  called  the  children 
all  the  good  and  bad  names  we  could  think  of. 
Then  we  demanded  an  explanation. 

Why,  you  hee,"  said  the  Tiger,  **  we 
'membered  dat  you  hadn't  heen  de  Hnoozer 
in  de  closes  papa  made  for  her  one  day  when 
mamma  was  hick  an'  he  made  b'lieve  he  was 
an  organ-drinder  wiv  a  monkey.  Hoe  we 
dressed  Hnoozer  up, 'n'  " 

"  An'  Hnoozer  bee'd  a  hateful  ol'  fing," 
wailed  the  Insect. 

Let  me  help  you  receive,  and  to  care  for 
45 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


the  children,  my  dear,"  said  the  caller.  I've 
some  little  ones  of  the  same  kind,  and  I  assure 
you  that  there  is  no  knowing  where  and  how 
they  will  break  out  next." 

You're  very  kind,"  I  replied,  **andlshall 
be  glad  to  have  you  remain,  although  " — — 
and  I  picked  open  the  small  yellow  ball  of 
paper  in  my  hand  and  asked  her  to  read  Kate's 
latest,  at  which  she  laughed  heartily.  Between 
callers  I  learned  that  she  was  sister  of  Mr. 
Wayne  Stryver,  whom  she  declared  the  dearest 
brother  in  the  world,  of  whom  she  had  never 
seen  enough  since  he  had  gone  into  a  pro- 
fession. How  so  dry  a  stick  could  have  so 
natural  and  merry  a  sister  passed  my  compre- 
hension, though  I  did  not  say  so.  But  I 
warned  the  children  to  do  nothing  whatever 
that  could  give  them  an  excuse  to  enter  the 
parlor  again. 

Callers  came  and  went  and  I  learned  that 
Kate  knew  a  lot  of  women  who,  like  herself, 
were  young  mothers,  and  to  whom  my  assist- 
ant insisted  on  telling  the  story  of  Snoozer 
and  the  children  and  the  childless  middle- 
aged  lady.  Their  charming  manners  kept  me 
from  feeling  uncomfortable  as  hostess,  and 

46 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


when  Mr.  Stryver  s  sister  took  her  leave  she 
kissed  me  and  said  : 

You  dear  girl,  you  play  lady  of  the  house 
as  gracefully  as  your  sister,  which  is  the 
highest  praise  that  could  be  given  any  one." 

The  door  had  scarcely  closed  on  her  when 
Tiger  dashed  at  me  and  exclaimed  : 

'*We  fought  hyee'd  never  doe!  It's  hup- 
per-time,  an'  we're  most  'tarved.  De  I  usee's 
up  in  her  high-chair,  an'  eatin'  air  by  de  'poon- 
ful.  I'm  'fraid  hyee'll  make  a  balloon  of  her- 
self if  you  don't  hurry." 

"You  poor  starved  dears,  couldn't  Norah 
give  you  something  to  eat  ? " 

"  Of  tourse,  but  mamma  hays  we  mustn't 
never  forget  to  be  little  ladies,  an'  dat  when 
dere's  tump'ny  to  meals  we  mustn't  begin  till 
de  tump'ny  tums  to  de  table." 

The  ''tump'ny"  hastened  to  the  evening 
meal.  As  this  was  supper  to  the  children, 
dinner  to  me,  I  felt  that  I  was  tormenting  and 
cruel  as  I  partook  of  dishes  which  the  children 
were  supposed  to  crave  yet  which  were  denied 
to  them.  But  the  dear  little  things  were  as 
cheerful,  and  as  satisfied  with  their  plainer 
food,  as  if  they  cared  only  for  what  was  ''  good 

47 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


for  them  " — how  I  hated  that  expression  when 
I  was  a  child  !  I  feared  for  the  result  when 
the  dessert  should  appear,  but  as  only  fruit 
was  brought  in  I  could  indulge  the  little  dears 
to  their  heart's  content. 

We  went  from  the  table  to  the  parlor,  where 
I  placed  the  children  on  the  sill  of  the  open 
window,  as  was  Kate's  custom,  but  I  also  im- 
itated Kate  by  putting  an  arm  around  each, 
and  clutching  with  each  hand  a  fold  of  juve- 
nile raiment.  We  looked  out  on  the  park, 
across  which  many  business  men  and  women 
were  hurrying  to  their  homes,  and  into  which 
many  young  couples  were  sauntering,  to  chat 
in  the  approaching  twilight  and  moonlight, 
and  I  became  lost  in  wonder  at  the  many  vari- 
eties of  people  that  make  up  the  population 
of  a  great  city,  for  out  home  we  had  but  two 
classes.  The  children  were  chattering,  but  I 
did  not  hear  what  they  said,  until  the  Tiger 
tugged  me  to  attention  and  asked : 
Isn't  it.  Auntie  Nell  ?" 
Isn't  what,  dear  ?  " 

Why,  I've  asked  you  free  times  now — isn't 
it  lovely  ? — all  dat  twitterin' — don't  you  hear 
it  over  in  de  trees  ? — isn't  it  lovely  to  hear  de 

48 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


mamma  birdies  puttin'de  birdie  babies  to  bed? 
Only  I  don't  fink  it's  nice  for  de  baby  birdies 
to  hleep  in  de  closes  dey's  worn  all  day." 

'*  One  time  I  was  a  baby  birdie,"  said  the 
Insect,  "an'  lived  in  a  tree,  an'  dressed  all 
over  in  f ewers.  An'  mamma  bwought  'traw- 
berries  an'  tandies  an'  dwopped  'em  wight  into 
my  mouf.  An'  s'e  'tretched  out  her  wingses 
to  teep  hun'hine  out  of  my  eyses." 

Oh,  Ince  !  "  I  exclaimed.  The  Tiger 
pulled  my  face  down  to  her  own  and  whis- 
pered : 

"  Hyee  djeamed  it — don't  you  hee  ?  Doe 
on,  Incie  dear.    What  else  did  mamma  do?" 

"  Oh,  hyee  hung  a  hong,  'bout  Wock-a-bye, 
baby,  on  de  chee-top." 

"What  did  mamma  do  to  Tiggie?"  asked 
the  Tiger. 

"  Didn't  do  noffin'.  You  was  at  anuvver 
nest,  puttin'  a  dolly  to  bed.  An'  I  wocked  an' 
wocked  an'  wocked  an'  wocked  till  I  fell  out 
of  de  nest.  An'  I  hurted  my  head.  An'  I 
yowled.  An'  den  mamma  tame  an'  picked  me 
up,  an'  dere  wasn't  any  chee  or  any  nest  any 
more,  an'  I  didn't  have  no  fevvers,  an'  mamma 
didn't  have  no  wingses  at  all." 

49 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


The  Tiger  emphasized  and  punctuated  her 
sister's  story  with  so  many  ecstatic  pinches 
that  in  self-defence  I  moved  the  children  from 
their  perch  to  the  floor, — a  proceeding  of 
which  they  seemed  to  disapprove,  so  I  too  sat 
upon  the  floor  and  told  of  some  childhood 
dreams  of  my  own  that  were  so  fantastic  that 
I  had  not  forgotten  them.  The  children  lis- 
tened with  staring  eyes  and  mouths  agape, 
and  when  I  paused  there  was  a  demand  for 
more.  It  was  the  first  appreciative  audience 
I  had  ever  found  for  my  dream-stories,  for  my 
brothers  had  always  laughed  at  them,  so  I  did 
my  best  until  the  children's  faces  warned  me 
that  my  tales  were  taking  color  from  the 
deepening  twilight.  Quickly  lighting  the  gas 
and  drawing  the  shades  I  told  the  most  rollick- 
ing child-stories  I  could  recall.  These  made 
the  children  laugh  heartily  and  start  a  romp. 
Following  their  parent's  custom  in  such  cases, 
I  too  sprawled  upon  the  rug  and  took  part  in 
the  fun.    Soon  the  Tiger  suggested  : 

Let's  play  animals.  Let — me — hee.  De 
Insec'  an'  I'll  be  tats,  an'  yoube  a  mouse,  an' 
we'll  mate  b'lieve  tatch  you." 

"  Oh,  Tig  !  A  mouse  is  such  a  mean  little 
animal." 

50 


While  the  struggle  zvas  at  its  height y  I  heard  the  rings  of  the  portiere  rattle. 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


"  Den  be  a  wat ;  wats  is  lots  bidder  dan 
mouses.    Turn  on,  Incie." 

The  proposed  change  was  not  for  the  better, 
so  far  as  my  sensibiHties  were  concerned,  but 
the  children  quickly  assumed  their  feline  parts 
and  sprang  at  me,  seizing  parts  of  my  clothing 
with  their  teeth,  and  shaking  their  heads  vigor- 
ously, supposing  they  were  shaking  their  prey. 
They  were  so  violent  that  I  feared  they  would 
break  their  teeth,  each  of  which,  as  their 
mother  had  truly  declared,  was  prettier  and 
dearer  than  any  pearl.  They  made  believe, 
too,  that  their  adorable  fingers  were  cats'  claws, 
but  as  these  tickled  instead  of  scratching,  I 
was  soon  rolling,  and  writhing,  and  laughing 
convulsively.  While  the  struggle  was  at  its 
height  I  heard  the  rings  of  the  portieres  rattle 
and  Norah's  voice  announcing : 
Mr.  Wayne  Stryver." 

**Tell  him  "    But  it  was  too  late,  for 

Mr.  Stryver  was  already  a  beholder  of  the 
scene,  and  as  Norah  had  impertinently  re- 
mained between  the  portieres  to  look  at  the 
romp,  Mr.  Stryver  was  unable  to  retire.  As 
I  cast  off  my  tormentors  and  wished  I  could 
shrink  into  nothingness,  he  leaned  forward, 

51 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


extended  two  long  arms,  said,  "  Permit  me?" 
took  my  hands,  and  raised  me  to  my  feet  as 
easily  as  if  I  had  been  a  feather  instead  of  a 
very  solid  bit  of  human  nature.  I  succeeded 
in  saying  "  Thank  you,"  but,  if  looks  could 
kill,  my  two  nieces  would  have  dropped  dead. 
So  would  Mr.  Stryver,  had  I  dared  to  look  at 
him.    He  said  quickly: 

*'Your  sister  sent  me  word  a  day  or  two 
ago  to  call  this  evening,  and  to  come  early, 
and-^  " 

"  But  "  the    Tiger    interrupted,    as  I 

glanced  furtively  into  the  mirror  and  Mr. 
Stryver  considerately  looked  at  the  Tiger.  In 
our  part  of  the  West  it  is  bad  form  to  have 
mirrors  in  parlors,  so  I  had  advised  Kate  to 
drape  the  glass  which  was  part  and  parcel  of 
her  parlor  mantel ;  but  how  I  did  bless  that 
mirror  as  for  a  few  seconds  I  reduced  the  puff- 
ball  effect  of  my  hair  and  wished  I  could  as 
easily  apply  a  puff  of  powder  to  my  blazing 
cheeks  !  But,"  said  the  Tiger,  "  you Ve  poiled 
our  romp,  hoe  you'll  have  to  hwing  us,  like  you 
do  your  sister  s  little  dirls,  'tause  papa  hays  dat 
when  we  dets  wound  up  we've  dot  to  be  tept 
doein'  till  we  begin  to  wun  down.  Turn  along 
an'  hwing  us  !  " 

52 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


"  Er — I'm  sure  your  aunt  won't  approve  of 
such  gymnastic  exercises,"  said  Mr.  Stryver. 
As  he  spoke  his  face  and  pose  expressed  ab- 
ject terror,  so  I  scented  an  opportunity  for 
revenge.  I  did  not  know  what  sort  of  gym- 
nastics was  referred  to,  but  from  Mr.  Stryver's 
manner  it  was  evident  that  his  sense  of  dig- 
nity was  concerned,  so  I  would  insist.  It  was 
not  his  fault  that  I  had  been  humiliated  a 
moment  or  two  before,  but  I  was  not  in  the 
humor  to  be  just. 

**  Ain't  you  doein'  to  bedin  ? "  the  Tiger 
asked. 

*'  Indeed  he  is ! "  said  I,  so  emphatically, 
though  I  endeavored  to  don  my  sweetest  smile, 
that  Mr.  Stryver  assumed  the  expression  of  a 
not  entirely-resigned  martyr  going  to  the  stake, 
and  said,  "  Your  will  is  law."  Placing  his 
hand  under  the  Tiger's  shoulders,  he  lifted  the 
child  till  her  head  was  at  the  level  of  his  own 
and  swung  her  to  and  fro  like  a  pendulum,  all 
the  while  keeping  his  face  hidden  by  her  head 
and  its  great  mop  of  golden  hair. 

I  was  disappointed.  The  exercise  did  not 
compel  the  slightest  abatement  of  Mr.  Stry- 
ver's customary  dignity,  for  he  stood  as  straight 

53 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


as  the  gatepost  of  which  he  and  his  kind  re- 
minded me. 

"  Hwing  me  de  uvver  way  !"  said  the  Tiger. 

Impossible  !"  the  young  man  exclaimed  in 
a  manner  that  would  have  appalled  an  adult. 
But  it  was  wasted  upon  the  children,  for  the 
Tiger  said — almost  growled  : 

But  I  want  you  to  ! "  I  did  not  know 
what  ''the  uvver  way"  might  be,  but  I  made 
haste  to  say,  as  playfully  and  viciously  as  a  cat 
toying  with  a  mouse  : 

"  The  Tiger's  will  is  law  in  this  house."  Mr. 
Stryver's  face  was  positively  ghastly  with  pal- 
lor and  distortion  as  he  placed  the  Tiger  on 
her  feet. 

''Put  your  foots  apart!"  said  the  Tiger. 
"  Now  lift  me  up." 

"  Tiggie,  I  must  beg  your  aunt  to  forbid  so 
ridiculous  an  exhibition.  When  only  the  fam- 
ily are  present  " 

"Well,  ain't  Auntie  Nell  one  of  de  tam- 
ily?"  I  said  nothing,  but  smiled  assent. 
"Ain't  you  doein'  to  bedin?"  the  Tiger  con- 
tinued. 

Mr.  Stryver  looked  desperate ;  for  a  mo- 
ment I  was  sure  that  he  thought  of  dashing 

54 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


from  the  room  and  the  house.    The  Tiger 
jumped  up  and  down  impatiently,  and  roared : 
*'  Any  time  dis  week  !  " 

Mr.  Stryver  placed  his  feet  after  the  manner 
of  the  Colossus  of  Rhodes  ;  he  leaned  forward, 
again  took  the  Tiger  in  hand,  and  swung  her 
back  and  forth  in  the  Gothic  angle  he  had  ex- 
temporized. The  Tiger  screamed  joyously, 
but  soon  she  shouted  : 

Hing  de  hwing  hong!"  And  the  Insect, 
who  was  looking  on  enviously,  added  : 

An'  do  it  wight  away  ! " 
"  Not  for  worlds  ! "  gasped  Mr.  Stryver. 
The  Tiger  began  to  cry,  and  to  utter  some 
notes  indicative  of  bad  temper,  and  the  Insect 
made  haste  to  assist. 

Please  don't  be  cruel  to  the  little  dears!" 
said  I,  and  I  tried  to  put  pathos  into  my  voice. 
Mr.  Stryver  began,  through  closed  teeth,  it 
seemed  to  me,  to  intone  some  doggerel  to  the 
air  of  He  Sighed  for  the  Love  of  a  Lady," 
from  Gilbert  and  Sullivan's  Yeoman  of  the 
Guard,"  the  Tiger  roaring  the  response  to  the 
first  line :  

Swing,  swing,  a  song,  oh  ! 
*'  Hwing  me — a  hong,  oh  !  " 

55 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Of  a  dear  little  girl  who  would  swing  so  high, 
And  swing  so  fast  she  would  almost  fly, 
Till  up  in  the  clouds  she'd  seem  to  lie  ; 
And  her  toes  would  nearly  kick  the  sky. 
And  to  snatch  the  moon  and  stars  she'd  try, 
This  dear  little  love  of  a  lady. 

"Now,  me!"  exclaimed  the  Insect,  taking 
the  appropriate  position  in  front  of  her  sister, 
as  that  young  person  was  dropped  to  the  floor 
with  far  more  force  than  was  necessary, 

"Some  other  day,  Incie,"  said  Mr.  Stryver, 
with  a  glance  at  me  that  would  have  melted  a 
heart  of  stone.    But  I  said  : 

"  Oh,  'twould  seem  like  favoritism  to  refuse." 

So  he  repeated  the  performance ;  even 
Norah  saw  it,  for  she  chanced  to  enter  with  a 
despatch.  Begging  Mr.  Stryver  to  be  seated, 
and  assuring  him  that  he  had  earned  some 
rest,  I  opened  the  despatch,  which  seemed  to 
have  been  delayed  somewhere. 

"  Is  dat  from  your  hweetheart,  like  all  de 
uvvers?"  asked  the  Tiger.  "But  I  dess  it 
ain't,  'tause  it  don't  heem  to  make  you  happy." 

I  suspect  I  looked  annoyed  and  indignant, 
for  I  read  : 

I  forgot  it  was  my  day  at  home,  but  I  can  trust  you 
to  do  the  honors.  Be  your  sweetest  self.  If  Mr.  Stry- 
ver calls,  you  must."  Kate, 

56 


At  the  End  of  a  Wire 


'Twas  no  wonder  that  I  frowned  and  bit  my 
lip,  and  otherwise  betrayed  my  indignation  to 
the  searching  eyes  of  the  Tiger.  Of  one  thing 
I  was  quickly  resolved :  I  would  that  very 
evening  put  a  large  piece  of  my  mind  in  a  let- 
ter to  Kate.  I  had  known  and  escaped  from 
several  married  .vomen  who  had  a  mania  for 
matchmaking.  I  would  not  hurry  away  from 
my  sister,  or  even  quarrel  with  her,  but  she 
should  be  made  to  know  that  I  would  not  endure 
dictation  regarding  my  manner  to  young  men. 

As  I  raged  to  myself  the  Tiger  approached 
me,  put  her  hands  on  my  knees,  looked  soul- 
fully  up  into  my  face,  and  said,  with  her  heart 
in  her  voice  : 

I'm  awful  horry  dat  your  hweetheart  wrote 
humfin'  dat  made  you  feel  hoe  bad." 

Tig,"  said  I,  snappishly,  ''don't  be  silly! 
This  despatch  is  from  your  mother,  explaining 
something  she  had  forgotten." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Mr.  Stryver,  '*  but 
isn't  your  sister  at  home  ?" 

*'  No ;  her  husband  suddenly  took  her  to  the 
Catskills  this  afternoon — so  suddenly,  indeed, 
that  she  forgot  that  it  was  her  customary  day 
at  home." 

57 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Indeed  ?  I'm  so  glad  to  hear  of  it,  for  her 
sake.  If  you'll  kindly  excuse  me  I'll  hurry  to 
my  sister  and  tell  her  the  good  news.  She 
has  been  saying  for  weeks  that  she  greatly 
wished  your  sister  might  have  some  change 
and  rest." 

Fortunately  the  children  did  not  tell  him 
that  his  sister  already  knew  it,  she  having  been 
one  of  my  callers,  so  Mr.  Stryver  departed, 
and  I  hurried  the  children  to  bed.  Then  I 
wrote  a  strong  letter  to  Kate,  and  to  make 
sure  of  its  strength  I  rewrote  it,  and  I  con- 
tinued to  rewrite  till  near  midnight,  without 
expressing  myself  to  my  entire  satisfaction. 

"  Be  your  sweetest  self.  If  Mr.  Stryver 
calls,  you  must." 

Oh  oh  oh  ! 


58 


CHAPTER  VI 


The  Sky  is  Cleared 

NoRAH  roused  me  in  the  morning  with  : 

A  letter  for  you,  miss." 

Bring  it  in,"  I  replied.  It  was  from  Kate, 
so  I  expected  a  continuation  and  amplification 
of  her  despatches  of  the  previous  day.    I  read  : 

Dear  Nell  :  Just  a  line.  Harry  snatched  my  last  des- 
patch from  me  and  signed  it  when  it  was  but  half 
finished,  for  the  train  was  about  to  leave  a  station  and 
he  said  those  country  telegraph  operators  were  slow 
at  best.  I  can't  remember  at  what  word  I  stopped, 
but  what  I  had  begun  to  say  was  that  if  Mr.  Stryver 
called  you  must  explain  that  I  had  been  unexpectedly 
taken  to  the  country  for  a  few  days.  I  had  specially 
asked  him  to  call  yesterday  evening,  for  Harry  had 
wanted  to  have  a  quiet  business  chat  with  him,  which 
was  impossible  at  the  office.  I  tried  to  telegraph  the 
additional  words,  but  Harry  persisted  in  making  me 
enjoy  the  scenery  with  him  until  he  said  it  would  be  too 
late  to  get  anything  on  the  wires  in  time  to  be  of  any 
service.  Besides,  he  said  that  you  were  my  sister,  so 
you  probably  had  sense  enough  to  explain,  and  he  was 

59 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


sure  that  Mr.  Stryver  had  enough  sense  of  propriety 
to  excuse  himself  when  he  learned  that  I  was  not  at 
home. 

Love  my  darlings  for  me  with  all  your  might. 
More  soon. 

Your  loving  sister,  Kate. 

How  rapidly,  and  into  what  small  bits,  I  tore 
all  the  letters  I  had  written  the  night  before ! 
How  gleefully  I  stood  upon  them  and  spurned 
them  with  my  feet !  What  dreadful  names  I 
called  myself,  as  in  an  agony  of  contrition  I 
looked  up  at  a  picture  of  Kate  that  hung  on 
the  wall,  and  begged  the  dear  girl  to  forgive 
me  for  having  suspected  her  of  an  unsisterly 
impertinence !  I  was  so  humiliated  and  re- 
joiced, so  happy  and  so  sorry,  all  in  a  moment, 
that  I  was  unconscious  of  not  being  alone 
until  I  heard  a  loud  whisper  : 

"Sh — h-h,  Incie  !  You  mustn't  disturb 
her.  Don't  you  hee  dat  hyee's  hayin'  her 
pwayers  in  fwont  of  mamma,  djus'  like  we's 
done,  'tause  mamma's  dawn  away  ?  " 

Auntie  Nell  isn't  praying,  dear,"  I  said, 
"at  least,  not  in  the  way  you  mean.  But 
when  did  you  say  your  prayers  in  front  of 
your  mother's  picture  ?    I  was  present  at  your 

60 


Hyee's  hayin^  her  pzvayers  in  fwont  of  mamma,  djus'  like  av'.f  done.' 


The  Sky  is  Cleared 


devotions  last  night,  but  I  saw  nothing  of  the 
sort." 

The  Tiger  looked  embarrassed,  and  then 
looked  down  into  the  upturned  face  of  her 
sister,  who  seemed  to  wonder  whether  both  had 
not  done  something  wrong. 

Well,  you  hee,"  the  Tiger  explained, 
"  We  didn't  like  to  let  you  know  dat  kneelin' 
down  by  you  didn't  make  us  feel  'zackly  like  as 
if  you  was  mamma.  So  after  you  went  out  of 
de  room  las'  night  we  bofe  dot  out  of  bed,  an' 
turned  up  de  light,  an'  looked  up  at  mamma's 
pittcher,  an'  hed  our  pwayers  all  over  aden. 
We  'plained  it  to  de  Lord,  so  he  wouldn't 
wonder  why  we  hed  de  hame  pwayer  all  over 
aden  hoe  hoon.  An'  we  wants  our  bweak- 
fasts,  wight  'twaight  away.  You  don't  fink  it 
was  bein'  not-lovin'  to  you,  do  you  ?  " 

No — a  thousand  times  no,"  said  I,  drop- 
ping on  my  knees,  clasping  the  little  dears  in 
my  arms,  and  silently  offering  a  new  prayer  all 
my  own,  which  was  interrupted  by  

"  'Tause  if  you  don't,  we  want  our  bweak- 
fasts  wight  'twaight  away.  We  didn't  want  to 
disturb  you,  but  we've  been  awful  hungry  for 
'bout  a  hour." 

6i 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


**'Bout  a  hundred  hours,"  said  the  Insect, 
as  she  caressed  her  waist  pathetically. 

Scamper  ! — both  of  you,  and  tell  Norah  to 
serve  breakfast  at  once.  Don't  wait  for  me. 
I  shall  feel  hurt  if  you  make  believe  that  I'm 
company  any  longer.  Real  mamma's  aren't 
company,  so  make-believe  mammas  mustn't  be. 
Hurry — trottybugs  !  " 

Twottybuds  !  "  echoed  the  Insect,  with 
the  face  of  one  who  had  just  received  an  in- 
spiration. "  Twottybuds  !  "  Down  she  went 
on  her  hands  and  knees  and  crawled  rapidly 
from  the  room.  The  Tiger  noted  my  aston- 
ishment and  ^explained  : 

"  Bugs  twots  on  deir  fwont  foots  an'  hind 
foots  too,  don't  dey  ? "  Then  she  too  went 
out  of  the  room  on  all  fours  and  the  two  raced 
down  the  hall  to  the  dining-room,  giggling  and 
chuckling,  and  the  Tiger  shouting  : 

"  We're  a  nuvver  kind  o'  fings,"  and  the 
Insect  responding,  with  an  ecstatic  squeal : 

"  Twottybuds  !  " 

Immediately  after  breakfast  I  took  the 
children  across  the  street  into  the  park,  and 
by  easy  stages  up  the  long  stairway  to  the 
high  ground  above,  then  past  some  colleges 

62 


The  Sky  is  Cleared 

and  schools  to  another  park  to  which  Harry 
and  Kate  had  introduced  me  and  of  which  I 
had  become  very  fond.  It  was  New  York's 
Riverside  " — a  narrow  strip  of  wooded  ground 
a  mile  and  a  half  long,  which  sloped  abruptly 
down  to  the  Hudson  River,  across  which  the 
Palisades  formed  a  grand  background  for  an 
ever-changing  panorama.  At  the  top  of  the 
slope  was  a  promenade,  protected  by  a  low 
broad  wall  on  which  the  children  liked  to  sit, 
and  between  the  promenade  and  the  residences 
were  two  or  three  drives,  a  bicycle-path  and  a 
bridle-path,  all  of  them  well  shaded.  These 
ways  were  generally  dotted  with  people  who 
seemed  happier  than  other  New  Yorkers, 
perhaps  because  for  the  time  being  they  were 
nearer  to  nature. 

Over  the  wall  of  the  promenade  we  could 
look  down  into  the  tops  of  trees  great  and 
small,  and  across  the  trees  at  the  river,  alive 
with  boats  of  all  kinds,  and  the  children,  who 
had  often  been  taken  there  by  their  parents^ 
could  and  did  instruct  me  greatly  in  the 
varieties  of  marine  craft,  for  at  home  the  largest 
'  boat  I  had  ever  seen,  except  in  pictures,  was  a 
skiff  on  a  little  mountain  lake ;  when  I  reached 

63 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


New  York  I  did  not  know  market-sloops  from 
the  sloops-of-war  of  which  I  had  read  in  his- 
tory lessons  at  school.  The  children  gladly 
answered  my  questions,  but  when  one  day, 
with  my  heart  full  of  patriotic  pride,  I  called 
their  attention  to  an  approaching  battleship 
the  Tiger  exclaimed  : 

"  *  Fweshwater  !'  Dat's  what  papa  calls  his 
fwends  dat  don't  know  one  kind  of  boat  from 
anuvver." 

"  But,  Tiggie,"  said  I,  do  look  at  it !  'Tis 
long,  low,  white,  with  a  circular  turret  at  each 
end,  like  all  the  pictures  I've  seen  of  our 
country's  battleships." 

"It's  only  a  fewwyboat!"  said  the  Tiger 
contemptuously,  an'  de  turrets,  as  you  call 
'em,  is  only  pilot-houses.  Don't  you  hee  dere 
ain't  no  cannons  'tickin'  out  of  'em  ?  " 

I  had  to  admit  that  I  did,  now  that  my 
attention  was  called  to  the  supposed  turrets, 
but  I  said  : 

Do  you  think  *  Freshwater '  a  nice  name 
to  apply  to  your  Auntie  Nell,  merely  because 
she  came  from  the  inner  part  of  our  big 
American  world  ?  " 

"Inner  part? — de  real  inhide?"  asked  the 
Tiger,  looking  awestruck. 

64 


/  called  their  attention  to  an  approaching  battleship. 


The  Sky  is  Cleared 


Yes,  and  " 

Why,  Nowah  hays  dat's  where  de  bad 
place  is,  an'  de  ol'  bad  man  Hves  dere,  an'  all 
de  peoples  is  bad.  Was  you  bad,  an'  died,  an' 
went  dere  ?  An'  how  did  you  det  out  aden  ? 
Was  you  made  dood  ?  " 

The  Insect  looked  at  me  pitifully  and  her 
sweet  little  mouth  quivered  as  she  said  : 

"Don't  want  no  Auntie  Nell  dat's  been  in  de 
bad  place." 

This  jumble  of  geography  of  worlds  seen 
and  unseen  amused  me,  but  I  made  haste  to 
explain  the  difference,  and  to  promise  myself 
that  Kate  should  ask  Norah  to  restrict  her 
imformation  to  less  gloomy  subjects. 

About  this  time  the  fresh  westerly  wind  of 
the  previous  day  came  aslant  from  the  forest- 
crowned  Palisades,  and  its  purity  reminded  me 
again  of  its  birthplace  out  in  my  own  beloved 
mountains,  and  again  I  enjoyed  it  and  revelled 
in  it,  and  imagined  it  a  great  wireless  telephone 
that  was  bringing  me  messages  and  pictures 
from  home.  I  fear  that  I  did  some  uncon- 
scious posing,  for  the  Tiger  called  me  back  to 
reality  by  saying  : 

"Aunty  Nell,  you  look  like  mamma  when 
65 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


she's  listenin'  at  de  nurs'ry  door,  to  know  if  de 
Insec's  wakin'  up.    What  you  been  hearin'  ?  " 

The  wind,  dear — this  good  fresh  wind  that 
has  come  all  the  way  from  my  home  out  West." 

Did  de  wind  talk  to  you  ?  " 

N — yes, — or  I  thought  it  did." 

Den  I  dess  it  did,  'tause  it  talks  to  me 
humtimes,  an'  tells  me  where  it  tums  from,  an' 
what  it's  looked  at.  An'  papa  likes  me  to  tell 
him  all  'bout  what  de  wind  tells  me,  an'  he 
listens  to  me  ever  so  tareful,  'till  mamma  hays, 
*  Harry,  'top  windin'  dat  child  up  ! '  An'  den 
papa  breeves  unhappy,  an'  den  he  'tops.  Hay, 
Auntie  Nell,  where  is  de  place  where  mamma 
is?" 

*'The  Catskills,  dear." 

"  Doodness  dracious  !  What  tynd  of  tats  is 
dey,  an'  what  does  dey  till  ?  An'  what  does 
mamma  want  to  hee  'em  do  it  for?" 

I  want  mamma  to  tum  home,"  added  the 
Insect.  Don't  want  her  to  hee  any  tats  hurt 
fings,  'tause  it'll  hurt  her  dee  feelin's." 

Catskills  is  the  name  of  a  part  of  the 
country — some  mountains,  dear,  that  haven't 
anything  to  do  with  cats  and  killing.  I  don't 
know  where  they  got  their  name." 

66 


The  Sky  is  Cleared 

Dat's  too  bad.  'Tause  mebbe  dey  tood 
take  de  name  back  an'  have  it  changed,  like 
mamma  does  wiv  hum  fings  hyee  buys." 

I  want  mamma  to  tum  home !  "  said  the 
Insect  again. 

She  will  come,  dear,  as  soon  as  she  finds 
the  good  things  she  went  for." 

What  tynd  of  fings  ?  " 
"  Oh,  a  great  lot  of  rest  and  strength,  and  a 
heart  full  of  songs  and  laughs.    She  doesn't 
want  them  for  herself,  but  so  that  she  can  put 
more  happiness  into  her  dear  little  girls." 

"  Doodness  dracious  !  "  exclaimed  the  Tiger. 
•*  If  she  puts  more  happy  into  me  I'll  be  so 
full  dat  I'll  hwell  up  an'  bust  all  to  pieces." 
She  mentally  contemplated  this  result  a  mo- 
ment and  continued,  An'  I  don't  fink  dat 
would  be  nice,  'tause  it  would  make  an  awful 
muss." 

"One  of  my  dollies  busted  once,"  said  the 
Insect,  an'  we  touldn't  det  all  de  insides  of 
her  out  of  de  tarpet  for  days  an'  days." 

The  Tiger  began  to  explain    Little  dirls 

insides,  Incie,  ain't  "  but  I  hastened  to  offer 

a  new  topic  for  consideration.  At  that  instant 
a  bicyclist  in  extreme  wheeling  costume  swept 

67 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


past  us  and  both  children  screamed  in  cho- 
rus:    "  Dimme  a  wide!     Dimme  a  wide!" 

Quickly  I  covered  each  little  mouth  with  a 
hand,  but  the  wheelman  turned,  dismounted 
before  us,  raised  his  peaked  cap  and  disclosed 
the  face  of  Mr.  Wayne  Stryver.  The  children 
clapped  their  hands  and  exclaimed  : 
Hooray  !  " 

**  This  is  an  unexpected  pleasure,"  said  Mr. 
Stryver  to  me.  I  suppose  he  said  it  in  his 
customary  important  manner,  as  if  he  were 
imparting  information  of  great  consequence, 
but  his  unconventional  dress — short  trousers, 
long  stockings,  and  a  close-fitting  jersey," — 
made  him  appear  an  ordinary  mortal.  I 
hope,"  he  continued,  that  you  too  ride  a 
wheel,  for  my  sister  and  I  would  be  glad  to 
have  you  accompany  us  in  some  of  our  jaunts. 
It  takes  but  a  few  moments  for  bicyclists  to 
leave  New  York's  brick  and  stone  and  mortar 
behind  them  and  get  into  the  real  world — the 
hills  and  rocks  and  woods.  Across  the  river 
my  sister  and  I  have  a  favorite  route,  of  five 
or  six  miles,  entirely  through  natural  forest." 

Unfortunately  for  me,"  I  replied,  "there's 
not  a  single  mile  of  road  near  my  home  that  a 


The  Sky  is  Cleared 


bicyclist  could  climb  or  descend.  Some  men 
from  the  East  brought  wheels  with  them,  with 
serious  results.    So  I've  never  learned." 

How  sad  !  But  I'm  sure  Mr.  Lintrey, 
your  brother-in-law,  would  be  glad  to  teach 
you.  He  is  a  capital  rider  ;  so  is  your  sister. 
Many  ladies  have  learned  wheeling  on  the 
street  in  front  of  your  sister's  home  ;  'tis  so 

quiet  there — comparatively.    If  " 

"  Dimme  a  wide  !  Dimme  a  wide  !  "  the 
children  repeated.  Mr.  Stryver  smiled  and 
said  : 

In  a  moment,  children.  You  see.  Miss 
Trewsome,  they  learned  the  trick  from  their 
father,  and  they've  seen  me  amusing  my  sis- 
ter's children  in  the  same  way,  so  if  you'll  ex- 
cuse me  I'll  indulge  them  a  moment  or  two." 

Perching  the  Insect  on  the  seat  he  pushed 
the  wheel  to  and  fro,  while  the  Tiger,  running 
backward  in  front  of  it,  beamed  upon  her  sis- 
ter, who  seemed  immersed  in  bliss,  though  she 
soon  said  : 

"  Now  div  Tiggie  a  wide." 

The  centre  of  bliss  was  shifted  as  the  Tiger 
mounted  the  wheel,  though  the  Insect  looked 
serenely  happy  while  Mr.  Stryver  pushed  and 

69 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


turned  and  chatted — really  chatted,  and  nat- 
urally,— with  the  rider.  He  took  long  steps 
and  carried  himself  well,  yet  he  looked  like  a 
man — not  like  a  post  or  a  tailor's  sign,  and  1 
found  myself  imagining  that  but  for  my  pres- 
ence he  might  have  been  merry  in  the  swing- 
ing incident  of  the  previous  evening. 

"  Oh,  dear  ! "  sighed  the  Tiger,  as  she  was 
helped  from  the  wheel.  Auntie  Nell,  I  wish 
you'd  doe  back  to  our  house,  so  it  wouldn't  be 
unpolite  for  him  to  doe  on  widin'  us." 

Tiggie  ! "  I  exclaimed,  as  Mr.  Stryver's 
cheeks  reddened  beneath  their  brown. 

Well,  dat's  what  he  hed." 

Oh,  Tiggie  ! — I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I 
expressed  no  wish  that  Miss  Trewsome  would 
go  home.  'Twould  have  been  impossible  to 
have  such  a  wish." 

Well,  mate  her  doe  home,  anyhow.  You 
tan  do  dat,  tan't  you  ?  " 

The  young  man  looked  doubtful  as  he 
glanced  at  me,  and  I  laughed  to  relieve  him 
of  further  embarrassment.  When  at  last  the 
children  and  I  did  doe  home " — for  Mr. 
Stryver  showed  no  inclination  to  leave  us, 
and  I  insisted   that  he   must   not  lose  his 

70 


The  Sky  is  Cleared 

ride,  I  had  promised  to  ask  Harry  to  teach  me 
bicyding  if  only  that  I  might  persuade  Kate 
to  go  out  with  me  after  her  return,  so  that  she 
should  not  lose  the  strength  which  she  was  ex- 
pected to  bring  back  from  the  Catskills. 


71 


CHAPTER  VII 


For  Kate's  Sake 

When  the  summer  sun  shines,  the  residen- 
tial parts  of  New  York  are  the  hottest  bits  of 
the  world  I  have  ever  known,  though  I  once 
accompanied  my  father  through  the  arid  regions 
of  Arizona,  New  Mexico,  and  California, 
where  'tis  said  the  thermometers  have  to  be 
lengthened  an  inch  or  two,  so  the  mercury  can 
go  as  high  as  the  heat  impels.  But  in  those 
countries  no  continuous  walls  exclude  the 
wind.  In  New  York  the  unchanging  mass  of 
brick  and  stone — house-walls,  sidewalks  and 
pavements — are  storage  batteries  of  the  sun's 
heat-current,  and  they  give  forth  as  generously 
as  they  receive. 

In  our  house  out  West  we  do  much  baking 
and  roasting  in  a  tin  structure  called  a  "  re- 
flector," which  stands  in  front  of  a  big  kitchen 
fireplace,  arrests  the  heat  rays  and  reflects 
them  from  its  inclined  surfaces  upon  whatever 
is  in  the  pans.    Similarly  I  was  often  baked 

72 


For  Kate's  Sake 


and  roasted,  when  I  went  out  in  New  York, 
by  the  sun's  heat  which  was  turned  toward  me 
by  walls  and  pavements.  The  heat  stifled  me  ; 
it  made  me  apoplectic,  and  faint,  and  frantic, 
though  the  month  of  June  had  not  ended,  and 
when  I  tried  to  rally  myself  by  full  breathing, 
which  was  our  family's  remedy  for  every  phys- 
ical discomfort,  the  air  itself  seemed  to  have 
fainted,  so  weak  and  lifeless  was  it. 

J  went  through  such  an  experience  after  re- 
turning from  Riverside  Drive  with  the  children, 
for  I  had  been  obliged  to  make  a  half-hour 
shopping  tour.  I  reached  Kate's  apartment, 
and  dropped  upon  a  lounge  with  a  cold,  wet 
handkerchief  on  my  face,  and  a  fan  in  my 
hand,  to  try  to  recover  from  the  dreadful  heat, 
when  Norah  knocked  at  my  door  and  repeated 
the  familiar  announcement  : 

A  despatch,  miss."    It  read  : 

"  'Tis  so  very  cold  here  that  I  am  sure  a  cool  wave 
has  struck  New  York.  Ask  Norah  for  the  children's 
heavier  clothing."  Kate. 

I  sprang  from  the  lounge  and  looked  at  the 
thermometer  ;  it  was  at  eighty-four  only,  for 
the  sun  touched  but  one  wall  of  the  house,  yet 

73 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


I  lost  forever  my  faith  in  thermometers.  Nev- 
ertheless I  shouted  : 

"  Norah,  do  find  for  me  some  of  my  sister's 
thinnest,  coolest  summer  things,  no  matter 
how  old."  At  home  we  wear  but  one  thick- 
ness throughout  the  year. 

As  the  children  were  Kate's  own,  her  orders 
regarding  their  dress  deserved  respect,  so  I 
looked  for  them, — after  I  had  made  myself 
comfortable.  I  found  them  playing  as  happily 
as  if  there  were  no  such  thing  as  heat  ;  indeed, 
a  pleasant  breeze  was  sweeping  through  the 
house.  It  seemed  impossible  that  several 
squares  away,  and  at  the  street  level,  I  had 
suffered  so  greatly.  No  sooner  did  the  chil- 
dren see  me  than  I  heard  a  joyous  squeal  and 
a  deep  heart-tone,  and  both  squeal  and  heart- 
tone  said  : 

Mam— ma  !  " 

They  were  upon  me  in  an  instant,  the  Insect 
crawling  across  the  floor  and  hugging  my  feet, 
while  the  Tiger's  embrace  was  as  much  higher 
as  her  arms  could  reach,  and  vigorous  enough 
to  disturb  my  balance,  so  I  carefully  sank  to 
the  floor  and  rolled  the  precious  couple  into  a 
delicious  armful.     No  longer  was  there  any 

74 


For  Kate's  Sake 


doubt  of  my  success  at  *'  playing  mamma,"  if 
the  dear  things  had  unconsciously  given  me 
their  mother's  own  name.  Suddenly  the  Insect 
wailed  : 

'Tain't  mamma  a  bit !  It's  only  Auntie 
Nell  in  mamma's  tloses." 

The  Tiger  struggled  like  a  wild-cat,  freed 
herself  from  my  arms,  and  exclaimed  : 

You's  a  mean  cheat  !  You's  too  hateful 
for  anyfin' !    I  don't  love  you  any  more  ! " 

Then  both  children  cried  angrily  and  piti- 
fully. I  did  not  attempt  to  quiet  them,  for  I 
too  began  to  cry,  and  to  wish  I  had  never 
come  East,  and  had  never  seen  my  nieces,  and 
that  Kate  had  never  married,  so  I  hurried  to 
my  room  and  locked  the  door.  I  soon  regained 
self-control,  but  I  did  wish  that  Kate  had  taken 
the  children  to  the  country  with  her,  where  un- 
doubtedly their  father  could  have  given  them 
most  of  his  time.  As  my  father  had  provided 
more  money  than  my  trip  required,  I  found 
myself  planning  a  surprise  party  for  Kate.  I 
would  take  the  children  to  the  Catskills  at  my 
own  expense,  where  they  could  be  mamma- 
babies  to  their  heart's  content — the  ungrateful 
little  wretches ! 

75 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


I  heard  my  door-knob  turn,  and  asked : 
''Who  is  it?" 

"It's  us,"  repHed  the  Tiger.  We've  dot 
dood  aden,  an'  we  want  to  tell  you  all  'bout 
it." 

I  admitted  them,  and  said  : 

"  Auntie  Nell  has  done  all  in  her  power  to 
make  you  children  happy.  Do  you  think  your 
treatment  of  me,  a  few  moments  ago,  showed 
much  gratitude  ?  " 

No,  we  don't.  'Twas  bwatitude, — dat's 
what  it  was,  an'  we's  de  bwats  dat  made  it  dat 
way." 

**  Bwats,  an*  bwats,  an'  bwats,"  added  the 
Insect. 

*'  You  hee,"  said  the  Tiger,  you  'pwised  us 
almos'  to  pieces,  'tause  mamma's  been  dawn 
'bout  a  year,  an'  we  want  her  hoe  much  dat  we 
dunno  what  to  do.  Humtimes  we  fordets 
'bout  it  a  little  while,  an'  den,  all-of-a-hudden, 
we  'members  it  as  hard  as  tumblin'  down  'tairs. 
An'  when  we  haw  you  tummin'  we  didn't  hee 
noffin'  but  de  tloses — mamma's  tloses,  so  we 
fought  you  was  mamma,  weally  an'  twuly,  an' 
we  was  so  dis'pointed  when  we  found  out  you 
wasn't,  dat  I  dess  our  twolley  slipped  off^  as 

7$ 


For  Kate's  Sake 


papa  hays  when  men  in  de  tweet  hays  bad 
words.  An'  we  told  awful  lies,  'tause  we  do 
love  you  lots." 

Loves  you  milluns  an'  twilluns,"  the  In- 
sect asserted.  An'  we  hed  our  pwayers 
'bout  it.  Told  de  Lord  how  bad  we  was,  an' 
asked  him  to  hend  down  an  angel  to  'pank  us 
— not  too  bid  an  angel,  doe." 

Dat's  de  twoof,"  said  the  Tiger.  An' we 
pwomised  to  love  you  lots  harder,  an'  play  you 
was  mamma  as  hard  as  we  tood,  if — only  you 
mustn't — I  mean,  we  tood  do  it  lots  easier  if 
you  wouldn't  wear  mamma's  tloses." 

Let's  kiss  and  be  friends,"  said  I,  and  we 
did.  Then  I  begged  them  to  let  me  rest,  so 
they  hurried  back  to  their  play,  while  I,  feeling 
to  the  uttermost  what  it  is  to  be  a  guilty  thing, 
slipped  from  Kate's  cool  garments,  into  my  hot 
ones,  went  out  again  into  the  wilting  heat, 
and  remained  until  I  had  found  some  very  thin 
house  attire  that  was  as  unlike  Kate's  as 
possible,  both  in  color  and  cut. 

On  my  return  I  found  a  letter  from  Kate — 
eight  pages  of  instructions  and  of  reminders 
of  what  she  had  already  taught  me — about 
the  children,  of  course.    And  she  sent  the 

77 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


children  her  love,  and  told  me  just  how  it  was 
to  be  given  to  them,  and  the  entire  letter  was 
quite  as  idiotic  as  if  written  from  a  lunatic 
asylum. 

In  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Lyle,  Mr.  Stryver's 
sister  bounced  into  Kate's  apartment  in  bi- 
cycling costume  that  made  her  look  like  a 
girl  of  sixteen,  and  also  so  bewitching,  in  her 
short  skirt,  gay  jacket  and  jaunty  cap,  as  to 
make  me  wish  that  I  too  knew  how  to  ride. 

I  ran  in  for  a  moment  only,  my  dear," 
she  said  ;  "I've  left  my  precious  wheel  at  the 
door,  and  some  one  may  steal  it  should  the 
door-boy  be  called  away  for  a  moment.  But 
Wayne  told  me  you  were  going  to  have 
Harry  teach  you  wheeling,  so  that  you  may 
ride  with  Kate.  She  used  to  take  long  rides, 
before  she  became  so  delicate,  and  I  hope  her 
life  in  the  mountains  will  make  her  fit  to  do  so 
again.  But  why  not  let  me  teach  you,  so  you 
can  give  her  a  surprise  when  she  returns  ? 
You  can  get  so  much  confidence  in  yourself, 
after  a  week  or  two  of  practice,  that  you'll  be 
ready  to  go  out  with  her  before  she  can  have 
wasted  all  her  strength  on  the  children — oh,  I 
know  her  nature  and  her  ways  !    She  has  two 

78 


For  Kate's  Sake 


wheels  in  the  basement,  and  you  can't  spoil 
either  of  them  while  you're  learning,  if  you'll 
let  me  take  you  in  hand.  Besides,  your  first 
lesson  or  two  will  be  given  at  a  bicycle  school, 
where  only  women  are  admitted,  and  the  in- 
structors are  women,  so  you  won't  be  com- 
pelled to  feel  uncomfortable  !  " 

I  hesitated.  At  home  I  would  have  ven- 
tured on  any  horse  that  had  a  bit  in  his  mouth, 
but  the  wheel  was  an  unknown  quantity  to 
me,  so  I  had  already  repented  my  promise  to 
Wayne  Stryver. 

I  do  believe  you're  afraid  ! "  Mrs  Lyle 
continued,  as  she  playfully  turned  my  face  to 
the  light.  You  must  have  been  on  horseback 
many  times  ?  Yes  ?  Well,  so  have  I,  for  I 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  I  assure  you  that 
the  wheel  is  far  less  tricky  than  the  best  family 
horse  alive.  Besides,  you  would  look  simply 
superb,  a-wheel.  Do  say  you  will — and  to-day  ! 
ril  bring  you  a  skirt  that  will  do,  if  you  can't 
find  one  of  Kate's." 

"The  children — "  I  began,  but  the  little 
woman  said  : 

"  Bring  them  to  my  house,  after  the  Insect 
has  taken  her  nap.    They're  always  happy 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


with  my  little  ones,  and  my  maid  is  a  wonder 
with  children." 

So  by  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  I  was 
feeling  like  a  fool,  while  a  strong,  watchful 
woman  was  giving  me  my  first  lesson  at  the 
bicycle  school,  and  Mrs  Lyle  was  assuring  me 
that  I  was  doing  wonderfully  well,  for  a 
beginner.  Indeed,  what  she  herself  taught  me 
about  balancing  soon  gave  me  so  much 
confidence  in  myself  that  I  dreamed  the 
following  night  of  dashing  through  space  and 
across  several  mountains. 

"  Now,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs  Lyle,  as  we 
parted,  let  me  come  for  you  immediately  after 
breakfast  in  the  morning,  and  see  that  one  of 
Kate's  wheels  is  in  order,  and  take  you  up  to 
the  bicycle  path  of  Riverside  Drive.  There'll 
be  scarcely  any  one  there  so  early.  I'll  bring 
Wayne,  to  get  your  wheel  up  there,  for  of 
course  you  can't  be  expected  to  ride  up  hill 
after  a  single  lesson.  Don't  fear  ;  he  sha'n't 
be  present  at  the  exercises.  We'll  leave  him 
at  one  end  of  the  path,  to  amuse  the  children, 
whom  I  suppose  you'll  feel  you  must  take  with 
you. 

Auntie  Nell,"  asked  the  Tiger,  as  soon  as 


For  Kate*s  Sake 


we  had  left  Mrs  Lyle's  house,  what's  a 
doddess  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  dear.  Something  peculiar 
to  New  York,  I  suppose.  Do  remind  me  to 
ask  your  mother  when  she  returns." 

Well,  I  fink  it's  humfin'  like  you,  'tause  de 
Lyle  dirls  hed  dat  deir  Uncle  Wayne  heard 
deir  mamma  talk  'bout  takin'  you  to  a  bicycle 
'cool,  an'  he  hed,  *  De  idea  of  dem  ord'nary 
women  teachin'  a  doddess  ! '  an'  he  made  an 
awful  face  'bout  it.  Dorofy  Lyle  twied  to 
make  a  face  like  it,  an'  hyee  looked  like  a  hick 
tat." 

**  I  should  hope  so,  if  her  uncle  talked  such 
nonsense,"  I  said,  for  the  meaning  of  doddess  " 
came  to  my  mind.  My  oldest  brother,  while 
at  college,  had  written  some  rhymed  lines  to  a 
college-town  Goddess  "  who  afterward  eloped 
with  a  handsome  gambler,  and  I  had  never  let 
him  hear  the  end  of  it. 


8i 


CHAPTER  VIII 


More  Bicycling 

Two  letters  from  Kate  awaited  me  when  I 
awoke  next  morning,  and  both  were  silly  in 
the  extreme,  though  I  had  always  thought  my 
sister  a  paragon  of  womanly  sense.  One, 
which  was  full  of  adoring  expressions  about 
her  children,  would  have  been  fairly  rational 
had  it  been  written  in  ordinary  English,  but 
the  words  were  spelled  as  if  the  writer  were 
suffering  from  a  complication  of  phonetic  re- 
form and  of  every  known  imperfection  and  im- 
pediment of  speech  ;  in  short,  it  was  written  in 
'*  baby-talk  "  and,  to  make  it  worse,  Harry  had 
added  a  long  postscript  in  the  same  jargon. 

The  other  letter  was  entirely  about  me,  and 
though  abounding  in  sisterly  affection  and 
solicitude,  it  contained  so  many  cautions  that 
I  wondered  how  my  sister  had  dared  to  leave 
me  alone,  and  whether  she  imagined  that 
young  women  who  had  been  reared  anywhere 
but  in  New  York  were  entirely  destitute  of 
manners  and  tact. 

82 


More  Bicycling 


But  after  breakfast  I  read  aloud  the  letter 
about  the  children,  and  was  richly  repaid  for 
the  effort.  It  really  was  an  effort,  but  the 
little  dears  gave  me  great  assistance,  and 
promptly,  too.  Much  that  was  Greek  to  me 
was  as  plain  to  them  as  the  Book  of  Revela- 
tions to  my  mother's  colored  **  help,"  and  so 
the  reading  elicited  squeals,  and  chuckles,  and 
giggles,  and  grunts,  and  ecstacies,  the  latter 
sometimes  becoming  so  violent  that  the  read- 
ing had  to  be  stopped  while  the  children  rolled 
on  the  floor  in  each  other's  arms,  or  pinched 
and  tickled  each  other.  When  the  reading 
ended  the  Tiger  asked : 

**Isdat  all?" 
Yes  dear." 

'*  Dimme  de  letter.  Where's  mamma's 
name  ?  " 

"Why,  at  the  end, — here,"  and  I  placed  a 
finger  on  the  signature.  The  Tiger  placed  a 
chubby  finger  beside  mine,  pushed  my  hand 
aside,  dropped  on  her  knees  and  kissed  her 
mother's  name  several  times.  Then  she  called 
the  Insect,  who  repeated  the  operation. 

"  Bless  your  dear  great  hearts ! "  said  I, 

How  did  you  think  to  do  that  ?  " 

83 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


"  Why,  it's  de  way  mamma  does  to  your 
name,  when  hyee  dets  a  letter  from  you." 

"  An'  from  papa  too,  when  he  has  to  be 
'way  fum  home,  humtimes,"  added  the  Insect. 

Quickly  I  put  the  letter  to  my  own  lips  and 
followed  the  children's  example,  and  closed 
my  eyes  to  picture  dear  Kate  rejoicing  over 
one  of  my  scatter-brain  letters.  I  kept  my 
eyes  closed  a  moment  or  two  ;  when  I  opened 
them,  the  Tiger  said  : 

"  Auntie  Nell,  you  looked  as  if  you  was 
hayin'  your  pwayers." 

"I'm  glad  my  looks  told  the  truth,  dear." 

**  Auntie  Nell,"  said  the  Insect,  with  a  face 
full  of  something  new,  I  wants  to  w'ite  a 
letter  to  my  mamma." 

*'  Hooray  !  "  shouted  the  Tiger.  **  Hoe  do 
I.  Tell  you  what ;  I'll  w'ite  mine,  an'  you 
w'ite  the  Insec's  for  her,  'tause  she  tan't  w'ite." 
And  can  you  ?  " 

"'Deed  I  tan.  I's  w'ote  letters  to  papa 
evwy  time  he's  been  'way.    Tum  on,  Incie." 

I  gave  the  Tiger  paper  and  pencil  and 
seated  myself  at  Kate's  desk,  with  the  Insect 
in  my  lap. 

"  Let  —  me  —  hee,"    mused    the  Insect. 
84 


More  Bicycling 


"  *  Mamma  dee,  I  wants  you  to  turn  home. 
I's  divved  your  name  to  one  of  my  dolls — de 
dee-est  one,  wiv  de  nicest  eyes,  hoe  as  to  put  her 
over  my  face  when  I  takes  my  nap,  or  de  bid 
hleep,  hoe  I  tan  mate  b'lieve  lots  dat  you's 
doin'  it  you  own  heff.  I's  dlad  Auntie  Nell's 
dot  a  hweetheart.' " 

**  Incie,"  said  I,  little  girls  shouldn't  write 
anything  but  the  truth." 

"  Well,  dat's  de  twoof." 

**  Um— perhaps  so,  but  you  should  say  two 
sweethearts,  for  I  love  you  and  Tiggie  exactly 
alike." 

*'Oh,"  said  the  Insect  loftily,  "I  didn't 
mean  us.    I  meant  Mr.  'Twyver." 

Nonsense,  child  !  Little  girls  shouldn't 
get  the  silly  habit  of  some  older  ones,  who 
talk  as  if  every  man  who  speaks  politely  to  a 
lady  is  in  love  with  her.  I  know  a  great  many 
young  men,  but  none  of  them  is  my  sweet- 
heart." 

''He  is,"  the  Insect  asserted,  with  great 
positiveness  for  a  child  little  more  than  four 
years  old.  '"Tause  he  looks  at  you  like  papa 
does  at  mamma — but  he  waits  till  you  ain't 
lookin'.    Tiggie  an'  me  haw  him  do  it." 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


"  Nonsense  !    Besides,  young  men  are  as 
silly  as — oh,  as  silly  as  little  girls.    What  else 
do  you  want  to  say  to  your  mamma  ?  " 
But  he  does." 

"  Oh,  let  him  ! — there's  no  law  against^ it. 
*  A  cat  may  look  at  a  king.'  " 

**Tee-hee,"  giggled  the  Insect.  '*  Him's  a 
pwetty  bid  tat  ! — lots  bidder  dan  Hnoozer. 
An'  lady  tings  is  tweens — all  de  'tory-books 
hays  hoe.  Tiggie,  Auntie  Nell  hays  dat  Mr. 
'Twyver's  a  tat  !  Miaouw  ! — miaouw  ! — mi- 
aouw ! " 

Miaouw  ! — miaouw  ! — miaouw !  "  the  Tiger 
responded  gleefully. 

**  Go  on  with  your  letters  !  "  said  I  severely. 
*'  You're  so  slow  about  it  that  I  don't  believe 
you  love  your  mother." 

This  assertion  changed  the  topic  of  conver- 
sation effectively.  It  even  brought  tears  to 
the  Insect's  eyes  as  she  continued : 

*'  Tell  mamma  *  I  was  doein'  to  fink  of  you 
all  de  time,  when  I  found  you  was  dawn  away. 
But  I  didn't,  an'  I's  awful  bad.  I  s'apped 
myseff  for  it  till  it  hurted  awful.' " 

I  kissed  the  Insect  and  did  my  best  to  con- 
sole her.    Soon  she  was  able  to  continue  :  

86 


More  Bicycling 


*  Auntie  Nell  is  weal  dood  to  us,  but  if  hyee 
finks  hyee's  bein'  mamma,  hyee's  awful  mis- 
taken. Hyee  don't  tiss  us  de  hame  way. 
But  hyee's  dee,  an'  we  muvvers  her  lots.  But 
hyee  ain't  nice  to  Hnoozer.  I  fink  Hnoozer 
won't  be  happy  till  you  tum  back.  Here's  lots 
of  tisses  for  you.'     Well,  I  dess  dat's  all." 

''Very  good,"  said  I,  as  I  began  to  fold  the 
letter.    The  Insect  stopped  me  with  : 

How's  mamma  to  know  who  done  the 
letter  if  my  name  ain't  on  it  ?  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon.    Here's  the  pen." 

The  Insect  took  it,  and  inked  her  finger- 
tips as  she  adjusted  it ;  then  she  said  : 

You  mus'  push  it  for  me.  Take  hoi'  of 
my  han'." 

I  obeyed,  and  together  we  traced  **  Your 
loving  Insect"  in  lines  that  suggested  the 
crawling  of  a  spider  that  had  escaped  from  an 
inkstand.  Again  I  began  to  fold  the  letter, 
but  the  Insect  stopped  me  with  : 

"  You  didn't  put  in  de  tisses." 

**  Oh,  mamma  will  find  them,  dear." 
How  tan  hyee,  when  my  mouf  is  here  an' 
her  mouf's  way  off  dere?    Dimme  de  pen 
hum  more." 

87 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


She  took  it,  and  rolled  her  head  and  tongue 
in  laborious  union  while  she  traced  something 
that  started  with  a  curved  line  and  slowly 
elaborated  itself  into  something  that  resembled 
the  crater-outline  of  a  volcano.  Then  she 
placed  her  cherubic  face  upon  it  and  kissed  it 
many  times,  and  lifting  her  face  and  showing 
ink-stained  lips  said  : 

"  Dat's  de  way  papa  hends  tisses  to  us 
when  he's  off  twavellin'." 

"  That  reminds  me,  Incie,  that  you've  not 
said  a  word  about  your  papa,  in  the  letter. 
Don't  you  love  him  a  little  ?  " 

**  Of  tourse  I  do.  I  love  him  lots,  but  he 
always  knows  it,  an'  no  mistake,  but  mamma 
always  wants  to  be  told  all  'bout  it.  Dat's 
how  it  is." 

**  Papa  hays  dat's  de  diff'ence  'tween  mans 
an'  womans,"  added  the  Tiger,  whom  I  sup- 
posed was  absorbed  in  her  own  letter.  When 
she  had  covered  a  page  of  paper  with  pencil- 
marks  resembling  printed  words  of  several 
languages,  including  Chinese  tea-chest,  she 
brought  it  to  me,  placed  her  pencil  in  my 
hand  and  said  : 

"  Please  dwaw  a  nice  tiss  for  me  ?  " 
83 


More  Bicycling 


I  would,  very  gladly,  if  I  could,  dear,  but 
I'm  not  sure  that  I  know  the  shape  of  a  kiss. 
Is  it  like  a  hole,  such  as  the  Insect  made  with 
the  pen  ?  " 

**  Why,  it's  a  mouf — mamma's  mouf,  for  me 
to  tiss,  an'  den  hyee  takes  de  tisses  off  of  it." 

**Ah,  I — see!"  I  looked  at  Kate's  picture 
a  moment  or  two,  and  tried  to  trace  it,  and 
shade  the  lips  properly,  but  as  my  drawing- 
lessons  had  been  but  few  I  worked  very  slowly  ; 
besides,  the  work  set  me  to  thinking  of  the 
dear  original.  Both  children  stood  at  my 
elbows  looking  on  ;  suddenly  a  little  arm  stole 
about  my  neck,  and  a  warm  cheek  caressed 
mine,  and  the  Tiger  said  : 

"You  looks  as  if  you  was  tissin'  it  wiv  your 
eyes !    I  love  you  lots  for  lookin'  dat  way." 

"Me  too!"  said  the  Insect,  impulsively 
dropping  her  head  into  my  lap,  and  striking 
on  the  way  the  tip  of  the  pencil  so  forcibly  that 
the  point  proceeded  to  act  as  a  dagger,  to  my 
great  discomfort.  I  dropped  the  letter  ;  the 
children  took  turns  at  kissing  the  pencilled 
imitation  of  their  mother's  lips,  and  manifested 
an  inclination  to  continue  indefinitely,  but  the 
arrival  of  Mrs.  Lyle  and  her  brother  prevented. 

89 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


We  were  soon  on  our  way  to  the  bicycle 
path  on  Riverside  Drive,  where,  fortunately 
for  me,  there  was  only  one  other  learner.  Mrs. 
Lyle  treated  me  as  carefully  as  if  I  were  glass  ; 
she  helped  me  to  mount,  and  she  and  her 
brother  ran  at  either  side  of  me  as  I  attempted 
gentle  inclines  and  elevations,  and  they  spared 
me  some  tumbles  while  I  was  trying  to  learn 
to  turn.  With  attendants  so  careful  I  could 
not  help  feeling  quite  safe  and  confident.  In- 
deed, it  seemed  ridiculous  that  a  girl  who  had 
been  on  horseback  should  not  be  able  to  con- 
trol so  tiny  a  thing  as  Kate's  bicycle,  which 
had  no  will  of  its  own.  The  motion  of  the 
wheel,  too,  was  so  easy  and  exhilarating  that  I 
was  impatient  for  the  time  when  I  could  glide 
gracefully  up  and  down  the  path,  as  Mrs.  Lyle 
did  while  I  rested. 

My  lesson  lasted  an  hour,  and  my  teacher- 
assistants  praised  me  so  highly  for  my  progress 
and  fearlessness  that  I  had  an  impulse  to  "  steal 
a  march  "  on  them.  While  the  children  were 
scraping  acquaintance  with  a  baby  whose 
mother  was  playing  with  it  on  a  bench  at  the 
foot  of  a  gentle  slope,  and  I  had  just  succeeded 
in  making  a  turn,  without  assistance,  at  the 

90 


More  Bicycling 


upper  end  of  the  path,  I  pushed  the  pedals 
vigorously  and  in  an  instant  I  was  flying  down 
the  incline.  The  sensation  was  delightful,  for 
several  seconds,  after  which  it  became  alarming. 
I  felt  like  shouting  for  help,  but  it  seemed  to 
me  I  was  a  mile  away  from  Mrs.  Lyle.  Be- 
sides, I  had  never  allowed  any  one  to  help  me 
when  I  was  on  a  runaway  horse,  and  was  not 
a  horse  many  times  as  large  as  a  bicycle  ? 

But  a  horse  has  a  bit  in  his  mouth,  a  bicycle 
has  not ;  Kate's  had  not  even  a  brake,  and  I 
had  not  yet  been  taught  to  check  speed  by 
pressing  the  edges  of  my  shoe-soles  to  the 
sides  of  the  front  wheel  tire.  I  was  conscious 
of  steering  a  curvilinear  route,  and  that  some- 
thing heavy-footed,  probably  a  horse,  was  fol- 
lowing me.  I  knew  that  horses  never  ran 
upon  anything  they  could  avoid,  so  I  hoped 
for  the  best,  but  I  was  glad  when  I  reached 
the  foot  of  the  slope  and  began  to  ascend 
another  gentle  grade,  which  lessened  my  speed 
and  enabled  me  to  steer  a  straighter  course. 
The  footfalls  behind  me  sounded  closer  and  as 
I  pedalled  slower  and  with  greater  exertion,  they 
were  at  my  left,  and  passed  on,  and  I  saw  a 
pair  of  broad  shoulders  and  a  large,  flushed 

91 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


face  and  two  large  inquiring  eyes  and  I  heard 
Mr.  Stryver  say  : 

"  Splendid  !— splendid  ! " 

"  How  many  miles  have  I  come  ? "  I  asked 
as  I  was  helped  to  dismount.  Mr.  Stryver 
smiled  roguishly  and  replied  : 

Almost  half  of  one  entire  mile — though 
my  heart  has  been  in  my  mouth  long  enough 
for  you  to  have  ridden  a  hundred.  A  down- 
grade is  very  dangerous  to  a  beginner,  and 
bicycles  are  tricky  brutes  till  one  comes  to 
know  them  well.  Please  don't  try  again,  till 
you've  had  more  experience  !  " 

We  walked  back  to  Mrs.  Lyle,  Mr.  Stryver 
pushing  my  wheel  and  talking  of  bicycles  as 
western  men  talk  of  horses,  while  the  Tiger 
and  Insect  followed  at  our  heels  and  said 
amusing  things  to  each  other  about  the  baby 
in  whom  they  had  been  interested.  While 
Mrs.  Lyle  scolded  me  kindly  for  my  rashness 
and  her  brother  begged  me  to  be  very  cautious, 
the  children  stared  curiously  at  the  young  man 
and  the  Tiger  improved  her  first  opportunity 
to  ask : 

Mr.  'Twyver,  when  your  heart  was  iif 
your  mouf,  how  did  you  det  it  out  again  ?  " 

92 


More  Bicycling 


Er — I  suppose  it  readjusted  itself — nor- 
mally." 

**  Gwacious  !  What  bid  words  !  Was  dat 
what  made  you  look  hoe  funny  at  Auntie  Nell 
when  you  was  twottin'  behind  her  ?  " 

Children,  run  away  and  play,"  said  I. 
**  Well,  we  will.  Auntie,  when  he  tells  us." 
**  I  wasn't  aware, Tiggie,  that  I  looked  funny  ; 
I'm  sure  I  saw  nothing  humorous  in  the  inci- 
dent.   I  feared  that  Miss  Trewsome  might 
fall  and  be  severely  injured." 

"  You  feared  it  just  awful,  didn't  you  ? 
'Tause  you  looked  as  if  you  did." 

Tiggie,"  said  I,  "  what  sort  of  boat  is 
that?" 

Oh,  dat's  a  'team  yacht." 
No — not  the  one  I  mean.    Don't  you  see 
beyond  the  steam-yacht  a — " 

"  Oh,  dat's  noffin'  but  a  tommon  hloop." 
But  beyond  the  sloop  also.    Don't  you  see 
a  little  vessel  making  a  great  lot  of  smoke  and 
steam  ?  " 

Why,  dat's  only  a  tug-boat." 
I  knew  as  much,  before  I  asked,  but  my 
questions  had  answered  my  purpose,  which 
was  to  change  the  subject.    Meanwhile  Mrs. 

93 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Lyle  had  drawn  her  brother  aside  and  was 
demanding  some  information  regarding  a  tree 
into  the  top  of  which  she  looked  as  she  leaned 
on  the  wall,  so  I  improved  the  opportunity  to 
say : 

Tiggie,  'tisn't  good  manners  for  little  girls 
to  question  grown  people  about  their  looks 
and  feelings.  It  was  very,  very  kind  of  Mr. 
Stryver  to  follow  me  when  I — when  my  wheel 
ran  away  with  me,  so  it  wasn't  kind  for  you  to 
talk  to  him  of  how  he  looked.  Don't  forget 
it — and  don't  ever  do  anything  of  the  kind 
again.  You  made  him  feel  awkward — uncom- 
fortable. 'Twould  make  your  mamma  feel 
unhappy  if  she  knew  it." 

I  wish  mamma  would  tum  home,"  said  the 
Insect  plaintively. 

I's  awful  horry  I  made  him  untomfortable," 
said  the  Tiger. 

I  knew  you  would  be,  you  dear  honest 
little  heart,  as  soon  as  you  understood  it." 

But  I  don't  unnertan'  it.  I  only  b'lieves 
it,  'tause  you  tol'  me,  but  I  wish  I  did  unnertan* 
it." 

You'll  understand  manners  when  you're 
older.    But,  while   you're  a   little   girl,  do 

94 


More  Bicycling 


remember  not  to  talk  to  older  people  about 
themselves  and  their  doings.  The  first  pur- 
pose of  manners  is  to  keep  everyone  from  feel- 
ing uncomfortable." 

The  Tiger's  honest  eyes  looked  so  thought- 
ful that  I  knew  she  was  taking  her  instruction 
to  heart,  so  my  mind  was  quite  easy  as  I 
approached  Mrs.  Lyle  and  her  brother  in 
time  to  hear  the  end  of  a  botanical  description 
of  chestnut  blossoms.  As  the  young  man 
paused  an  instant,  probably  to  recall  an  extra 
large  Latin  word,  I  heard  the  Tigers  voice 
saying : 

Mr.  'Twyver,  I's  horry  I  talked  to  you 
'bout  how  you  looked  an'  felt,  'tause  Auntie 
Nell  hays  it  made  you  untomfortable." 

*'  Thank  you,  Tiggie — please  don't  think  of 
it  again.  As  I  was  saying.  Miss  Trewsome, 
the  efflorescence  of  the  chestnut — "  and  the 
dissertation  was  repeated  in  full,  after  which 
the  Tiger  said : 

But  I  tan't  help  finkin'  'bout  it." 


95 


CHAPTER  IX 


A  Browning  Afternoon 

**  Auntie  Nell,"  said  the  Tiger,  after 
the  Insect  had  been  started  at  her  afternoon 
nap,  *'  do  you  know  dat  you  haven't  wed  a 
hingle  'tory  to  me  hince  you  tame  here  ?" 

"  Tiggie  dear,"  I  replied,  "do  you  know 
that  you  haven't  asked  me  to  read  one  ?  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  Tiger,  after  a  big-eyed 
glance  backward,  "  I  'pec'  mebbe  dat's  de 
twoof.  Huch  a  lot  of  fings  has  been  happenin' 
dat  I  dess  we've  dot  off  of  our  tourse,  as  papa 
humtimes  hays  when  we  doe  hailin'  in  a  boat 
for  hum  place  an'  det  to  hum  uvver  place  we 
never  finked  'bout  when  we  'tarted.  But  I  do 
like'tories,  an'  lots  of  'em." 

So  do  I,  dear.  Get  me  some  of  your 
story-books,  if  there  are  any  that  haven't  been 
read  aloud  to  you,  and  I  will  read  as  long  as 
you  like." 

Oh,  we  know  all  dem  'tories  by  heart. 
We  want  hum  new  ones." 

96 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


"Very  well,  Auntie  Nell  will  go  out  and 
buy  a  new  story-book,  and  " 

**  Oh,  dat's  too  much  bovver  for  you.  Why 
don't  you  do  like  papa  does  ?  When  we  want 
a  new  'tory  he  hays ;  *  All  wight,  bwing  me  a 
book  out  of  de  libwary — anyfin'  '11  do.'  " 

"  Anything  ?  " 

"Dat's  what  he  hays.  He's  told  us  lots  of 
lovely  'tories  out  of  de  hyclopedier,  an'  de 
Atlas, — an'  de  Bible  of  tourse,  doe  we  teeps 
datfor  new  Hunday  'tories,  'tause  he  tells  'em 
all  over  aden  'fore  we  does  to  bed  ev'ry  night, 
all  week  long.  Don't  I  wiss  he  was  home  now 
to  do  it !  But  de  Insec'  an'  me  tells  de  last 
ones  to  each  uvver,  after  you's  tissed  us  dood 
night  an'  dawn  out  of  de  nurs'ry." 

"You  shall  hear  new  ones  next  Sunday, 
dear,  and  hear  them  every  night  through  the 
week,"  I  said,  *'but  at  present,  let  me  see 
what  books  there  are  in  the  library." 

"  Oh,  any  one'll  do,"  was  the  reply.  As  I 
looked  toward  the  book-shelves  I  smiled,  for 
the  first  title  that  caught  my  eye  was  "  Poems  by 
Robert  Browning"  and  I  wondered  what  story 
Harry  could  have  found  had  the  Tiger  selected 
this  in  response  to  his  request  for  "any  book." 

97 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

I  opened  a  volume,  turned  the  pages  rapidly, 
and  read  the  titles — '*  A  Blot  on  the  Scutch- 
eon ;  a  Tragedy,"  The  Return  of  the 
Druses  ;  a  Tragedy,"  Luria  ;  a  Tragedy," 
*'  A  Soul's  Tragedy," — a  nice  lot  from  which 
to  select  stories  for  children  !  "  Dramatic 
Romances  and  Lyrics,"  in  the  same  volume, 
was  a  little  more  promising,  but  the  poems 
themselves  were  not,  so  I  was  about  to  close 
the  book  when  I  came  face  to  face  with  a  dear 
old  acquaintance,  and  I  asked  : 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  the  story  of  '  The  Pied 
Piper  of  Hamelin  '  ?  " 

**  I  dunno,  'tause  de  names  humtimes  ain't  a 
bit  like  de  'tories.  Papa  told  us  a  lot  of  lovely 
'tories  one  time  out  of  a  book  dat  didn't  have 
no  name  but  "Twonomy.'  What  do  you  fink 
o'  dat  ?    An'  what's  your  'tory  'bout  ?  " 

"  Oh,  about  a  funny-looking  man  that 
coaxed  a  lot  of  rats  out  of  a  town  by  playing  a 
tune  to  them,  and  then  he  coaxed  all  the  chil- 
dren, with  another  tune,  to  go  into  a  mountain 
with  him." 

Doodness  dwacious !    Tell  me  all  'bout 

it." 

"  Shan't  we  wait  till  the  Insect  wakes 
98 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


*•  Oh,  no,  'tause  if  it's  dood  you'll  have  to 
weed  it  lots  more  times."  Then  the  Tiger 
seated  herself  on  one  of  her  own  feet  in  a  large 
rocking-chair,  assumed  an  expectant  attitude, 
and  said,  around  and  between  two  fingers  which 
she  had  thrust  into  her  mouth : 
Doe  on." 

I  began,  but  in  a  moment,  when  I  read  the 
lines, 

"  Rats  ! 

They  fought  the  dogs  and  killed  the  cats," 

the  Tiger  removed  her  fingers  from  her  mouth 
and  exclaimed : 

**  Doodness  dwacious  !  I'se  dlad  Hnoozer 
didn't  live  in  dat  town  !  How  do  you  huppose 
little  fings  like  wats  tan  till  big  fings  like 
tats  ?  " 

Perhaps  cats  were  smaller  in  those  days, 
dear,  for  it  all  happened  hundreds  of  years  ago. 
Let — me — see!  Where  were  we?    Um — m — 

'  Rats  ! 

They  fought  the  dogs  and  killed  the  cats 
And  bit  the  babies  in  the  cradles  '  " 

The  Tiger  bounced  from  the  rocking-chair 
and  dashed  from  the  room  ;   I  followed,  and 

99 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


found  her  in  the  nursery,  peering  into  the 
Insect's  crib.  I  drew  her  away  and  demanded 
an  explanation. 

Why,  you  hee,"  said  the  Tiger  looking 
shamefaced,  "  I  heen  a  pittcher  inside  of  my 
eyes.  'Twas  a  pittcher  of  de  Insec' bein' bited 
by  wats,  an'  it  was  hoe  weal  dat  I  had  to  wun 
an'  till  de  hateful  fings.  Don't  pittchers  ever 
tum  into  your  eyes,  an'  make  you  feel  afterwards 
as  if  you'd  like  to  hit  'em  ?  " 

**  Yes,  dear.  But  you  needn't  fear  for  the 
Insect ;  she's  strong  enough  to  kill  a  rat. 
Besides,  your  mother  told  me  there  were  no 
rats  in  the  house." 

*'  Well,  anyhow,  I  wish  dat  pittcher  would 
doe  out  of  my  eyes.  Hay,  Auntie  Nell,  what 
made  de  mammas  in  dat  'tory  let  de  wats  bite 
de  babies  for  ?  " 

"  They  didn't  let  them,  dear.  I  suppose  it 
happened  when  the  mammas  weren't  watch- 
ing." 

**  Huh  !  I  fink  dat  tynd  of  mammas  didn't 
deserve  to  have  any  babies.    Doe  on." 

I  read  on,  but  was  stopped  in  an  instant  by 
a  giggle  over  the  line, 

"  Licked  the  soup  from  the  cooks'  own  ladles." 
loo 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


Now  I'ze  dotannuver  pittcher  inside  of  my 
eyes  ! "  said  the  Tiger.  But  it  s  a  funny  one. 
Djust  fink  of  Nowah  holdin'  a  ladle  of  houp 
for  wats  to  lick !  Tell  you  what, — let  me 
doe  det  Nowah  to  tum  in  here,  an'  you  wead 
her  'bout  it,  an'  hee  what  hyee  hays." 

But  you  won't  have  time  to  hear  all  the 
story,  dear,  if  you  stop  me  so  often." 

Never  mind  Nowah,  den.    Doe  on." 
Again  two  fingers  went  into  the  Tiger*s 
mouth,  to  be  removed  very  soon  by  the  line, 

"  Made  nests  inside  men's  Sunday  hats." 

"  Dey  toodn't  do  dat  to  papa's  Hunday 
hat,"  chuckled  the  Tiger.  You  know  why  ? 
*  Tause  he  ain't  dot  no  Hunday  hat.    Doe  on." 

So  I  read : 

"  And  even  spoiled  the  women^s  chats 
By  drowning  their  speaking 
With  shrieking  and  squeaking 
In  fifty  different  sharps  and  flats." 

"  I  don't  fink  dat  was  a  very  big  town,"  com- 
mented the  Tiger,  if  dere  was  ouly  fifty 
different  shops  an'  flats.  Dere's  more'n  fifty 
flats  in  dis  one  block  where  we  live,  papa  hays, 
an'  as  to  shops  " 

lOI 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


I  didn't  say  shops,"  I  replied, — not  very 
pleasantly,  I  fear,  for  I  take  pride  in  not  hav- 
ing descended  to  Eastern  women's  way  of  ig- 
noring the  letter r."  ''I  said  'sharps' — 'tis 
a  musical  term,  as  used  in  this  story ;  so  is 
'  flats.'  Both  words  mean  wrong  ways  of 
sounding  notes." 

Dear  me  !  I  wish  words  wouldn't  mean 
dif'rent  fings  !  I  had  a  pittcher  inside  my  eyes 
of  wats  makin'  noises  in  de  flat  houses  an'  shops 
where  womens  was  talkin',  an'  now  it's  all 
'poiled.    Doe  on." 

I  read  without  interruption  for  at  least  three 
minutes,  but  when  I  exclaimed,  with  Hame- 
lin's  troubled  mayor, 

"  Anything  like  the  sound  of  a  rat 
Makes  my  heart  go  pit-a-pat," 

the  Tiger  remarked : 

"He  was  as  'fwaid  of  wats  as  womens  is  of 
mouses,  wasn't  he  ?  What  makes  womens 
'fwaid  of  mouses,  anyhow  ?  I  fink  a  mouse  is 
most  as  tunnin'  as  a  baby,  an'  it  makes  me  kwy 
when  I  hee  'em  in  twaps.  Nowah's  all  de 
time  tatchin'  'em.    Doe  on  wiv  de  'tory." 

I  read  the  description  of  the  piper's  entrance 

I02 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


and  his  appearance,  the  Tiger's  eyes  growing 
larger  at  each  detail,  but  the  line 

"  But  lips  where  smiles  went  out  and  in  " 
caused  the  Tiger  to  exclaim  : 
I  Dat's  djust  de  way  wiv  mamma's  lips,  but 

I  never  knew  how  to  tell  'bout  'em  wight.  I 
dess  it  was  a  pwetty  hmart  man  dat  w'ote  dat 
'tory,  wasn't  it,  Auntie  Nell  ?  " 

*'Yes,  dear." 
I  wish  I  tood  det  him  to  turn  here  an'  tell 
'bout  mamma's  eyes  too,  an'  papa's  eyes  an' 
mouf,  so  I'd  know  how  to  talk  bout  'em  to  de 
Insec',  an'  hay  humfin'  besides  *  dee '  an'  *  hweet,' 
'tause  dem  two  words  ain't  enough.  Dey's 
got  all  wore  out.  Read  hum  more  'bout  de 
funny  man." 

Again  I  read  a  few  lines,  but  was  stopped, 

after  the  following  : 

"  It's  as  if  my  great-grandsire, 
Starting  up  at  the  Trump  of  Doom's  tone 
Had  walked  this  way  from  his  painted  tombstone," 

I    by  an  emphatic  : 

"  Ugh  !  I  don't  unnertan'  dat,  but  I  don't 
fink  it's  a  bit  nice.  Ow  !  It  makes  me  feel 
all  cweepy.    What's  it  all  'bout?    What's  a 

I    dwate  dwan'sire?" 

103 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


A  great  grandfather,  dear — one's  father's 
grandfather." 

**  Oh,  dat's  nice  'nough,  'tause  I's  dot  one. 
It's  papa's  dwan'pa,  an'  he's  a  dee  ol'  man, 
an'  divs  us  take  an'  tandy  when  we  does  to 
hee  him.  But  what's  dat  uvver  fin'  you 
hed? — humfin'  'bout  a  twump.  But  I  know 
what  a  twump  is ;  it's  humfin'  'bout  playin' 
tards." 

**  Sh — h — h,  dear !  The  trump  I  read  about 
is  something  very  different." 

**Den  dat's  anuvver  word  dat  means  two 
fings  !    Ain't  it  humfin'  awful  ?  " 

"  Y— yes,  dear." 

"  An'  painted  tomb'tone  is  awful,  too.  I 
know  all  'bout  it,  'tause  last  hummer,  when  we 
was  in  de  tuntry,  an'  a  dog  tilled  a  titten  dat 
de  little  dirl  next  door  loved  lots,  de  little 
dirl's  papa  put  de  titten  in  a  hole  in  de  dwound, 
an'  painted  a  board  wiv  a  pittcher  of  de  titten, 
an'  de  titten's  name,  an'  'tuck  it  in  de  dwound 
an'  hed  it  was  a  tomb'tone.  But  what  does 
dwate-dwan'pas  want  of  a  tomb'tone?  Dey 
don't  have  dead  tittens,  does  dey  ?  " 

''No,  dear — but  if  you  don't  stop  thinking 
of  such  things  you'll  forget  about  the  story." 

104 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


'*A1I  wight.  Doe  on.  I  tan  ask  Norah 
'bout  de  tomb'tone  after  you  dets  froo." 

Resolving  most  earnestly  to  warn  Norah 
against  answering  the  child's  questions  on  this 
gloomy  subject,  I  read  rapidly,  and  well,  too, 
I  thought,  for  the  lines  were  so  familiar  that  I 
could  get  their  rhythm  in  spite  of  their  rugged- 
ness.  Indeed,  they  came  back  to  my  memory, 
so  that  my  eyes  strayed  from  the  book  to  the 
Tiger's  face,  which  became  intensely  apprecia- 
tive as  the  piper's  playing  was  described : — 

"And  ere  three  shrill  notes  the  piper  uttered, 
You  heard  as  if  an  army  muttered  ; 
And  the  muttering  grew  to  a  grumbling. 
And  the  grumbling  grew  to  a  mighty  rumbling, 
And  out  of  the  houses  the  rats  came  tumbling." 

As  I  read  these  lines  the  Tiger  wriggled 
and  twitched  and  giggled,  and  at  the  last  she 
shouted : 

"Oh,  isn't  dat  djolly !  *Out  o'  de  houses 
de  wats  tame  tumblin  !  *  I  tan  djust  hee  'em 
a-doin'  it !  Don't  I  wish  Hnoozer  tood  have 
heen  *em !  Hay,  Auntie  Nell,  don't  you 
weally  b'lieve  tats  tan  unner'tan*  'tories  ? — 
'tause  I'd  like  you  to  wead  dat  to  Hnoozer, 

105 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


an'  hee  if  hyee  don't.  Doe  on — wead  it  hum 
more  ! " 

On  I  went,  and  the  Tiger  seemed  about  to 
swallow  her  fingers  when  the  poem  carried  the 
rats  into  the  river,  and  the  single  survivor  re- 
hearsed his  experiences.  But  when  this  vete- 
ran said  : 

"  So  munch  on,  crunch  on,  take  your  nuncheon, 
Breakfast,  supper,  dinner,  luncheon." 

the  Tiger  released  her  fingers  from  their 
pretty  prison,  and  exclaimed  : 

*  Hay  dat  aden  !  'munch  on  crunch 

on,'  hoe  I  tan  'member  it.  Do  it  weal  blow, 
like  mamma  does  Bible  verses  for  me  to 
'member." 

I  obeyed,  and  the  Tiger  repeated  again  and 
again,  with  extreme  emphasis : 

"  Hoe  munch  on — cwunch  on — take  your — nuncheon, 
Bweakfas' — hupper — dinner — luncheon," 

until  she  said,  with  the  air  of  one  who  had  ac- 
complished a  great  task  : 

"  Dere  !  I  dess  I  dot  it  fast  in  my  fink-box. 
Doe  on." 

I  continued  the  story,  and  the  Tiger  followed 
1 06 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


me  closely  with  her  eyes,  as  the  children  of 
Hamelin  followed  the  piper  into  the  cavern, 
but  when  I  read,  with  my  best  dramatic  force  : 

"  The  door  in  the  mountain-side  shut  fast," 

and  paused  for  effect,  as  I  had  been  taught  at 
the  high  school,  where  this  poem  had  been 
one  of  our  most  exacting  reading  lessons,  the 
Tiger  said : 

"  Now  take  de  mammas  in." 

**  Which  mammas,  dear  ?  " 

"Why  de  children's  mammas,  of  tourse." 

"  But  they  didn't  go  in." 

"Why  not?" 
Because — oh,  the  poet — the  story-teller, 
didn't  arrange  for  it." 

**  He  didn't  teep  de  children  in  de  mountain 
wivout  no  mammas  to  take  tare  of  'em,  did 
he?" 

"Apparently  he  did." 

"  Den  he  was  a  mean  ol'  fing  !  He  was  too 
hateful  for  anyfin'.  Mebbe  he  wasn't,  doe. 
Doe  on,  an'  hee  if  he  didn't  let  de  mammas  in 
afterwards." 

"I  know  he  didn't,  dear,  for  I've  read  the 
story  often." 

107 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Den  mebbe  de  'tory-teller  fordot  to  tell 
'bout  it.  Lots  of  people  dat  w'ites  'tories 
leaves  out  de  best  parts — dat  s  what  papa  hays 
humtimes.  Djust  fink  how  dem  children 
wanted  deir  mammas  after  dey  dot  in  dat  big 
hole  in  de  mountain,  an'  dot  tired  of  de  pipe- 
man's  music,  an'  what  fwolics  dere'd  be  when 
all  de  mammas  tame  twottin'  in  !  An'  wouldn't 
it  be  djolly  to  be  a  mouse  in  de  torner,  an'  hee 
it  all !  But  I  don't  hee  why  de  'tory  man  for- 
dot to  let  de  mammas  in.  'Tause  who  was 
to  tomfort  de  children  when  dey  dot  hurt, 
when  dey  was  playin'  ?  An'  who  was  to 
tie  deir  bibs  on  in  de  dinin'-room,  an'  to  hear 
deir  pwayers  at  night,  an'  put  'em  to  bed,  an' 
tiss  'em  awake  in  de  mornin',  an'  tell  'em  not  to, 
when  dey  done  naughty  fings  ?  An'  I'll  bet 
de  children  didn't  take  deir  night-tloses  wiv 
'em,  nor  deir  Hunday  tloses,  nor  even  deir 
dollies." 

Again  the  Tiger's  mouth  absorbed  the  fin- 
gers and  the  child  looked  into  vacancy  while  I 
resumed  the  reading.  The  fate  of  the  little 
lame  boy  who  was  left  behind,  without  any 
playmates,  was  unnoticed,  and  the  moral  em- 
bodied in  the  last  line   was  received  with 

1 08 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


profound  silence ;  the  Tiger  seemed  uncon- 
scious that  the  reading  had  ended,  but  soon 
she  said  : 

"  How  do  you  weally  'pose  he  fordot  to  put 
de  mammas  in  ?  " 

Perhaps  he  didn't  forget  it,  dear.  The 
children  were  taken  away  to  punish  the  mayor 
and  corporation  for  not  keeping  their  promise 
to  pay  the  piper." 

But  de  mayor  an'  torporation  wasn't 
mammas,  was  dey  ?  Dey  was  mans,  wasn't 
dey  ? " 

Yes,  dear,  but  " 

Well,  den,  de  mammas  wasn't  to  blame, 
was  dey,  for  de  pipe-man  not  dettin'  his 
money  ?  " 

Not  in  the  least,  dear.  'Twas  all  the 
men's  fault." 

Well  I  fink  mens  is  horrid — all  but  papa 
and  dwate-dwan'pa,  an'  de  man  dat  tol'  de 
'tory  was  horridest  of  all.    /  tood  tell  dat 

'tory  better  dan  him.    If  " 

An  interruption  in  blue  and  gold,  that 
trotted  into  the  room  and  turned  several 
somersaults  on  the  rug,  caused  the  Tiger 
to  exclaim  : 

109 


I 

The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

"  Incie  dee,  I  wants  to  tell  you  a  new  *tory. 
Once  dere  was  a  town  wiv  too  many  wats  an*  ■ 
not  'nough  Hnoozers.  An'  hoe  de  mayor  an* 
de  torpy — torpyhumfin'  offered  lots  of  money 
to  whoever  would  det  'em  wid  o'  de  wats.  An* 
along  tame  a  pipe-man  dat  tood  det  anybody 
wid  of  anyfin',  and  he  dwounded  all  de  wats 
for  'em.  But  de  mayor  an'  de  torpyhumfin* 
wouldn't  pay  him.  Hoe  he  made  music  for 
de  children,  an'  all  de  children  in  de  town 
twotted  after  him,  an'  he  took  'em  into  a  big 
hole  in  a  mountain,  an'  hyutted  de  door  after 
him. 

**  Pwetty  hoon  de  mammas  began  to  look  for 
deir  children,  to  hee  what  dey  was  doin',  an' 
dere  wasn't  any  children, — dere  wasn't  any 
children  anywhere, — only  one  little  lame  boy, 
who  I  dess  didn't  have  any  mamma,  'tause  he 
hed  dere  wasn't  nobody  to  play  wiv  him.  An' 
de  mammas  dwopped  deir  work  an'  asked  the 
p'leecemen  if  dey'd  found  any  lost  children. 
An'  de  p'leecemen  told  'em  how  it  was,  an'  you 
djust  bet  dere  was  a  hot  time  in  de  old  town 
dat  night !  De  mammas  went  to  de  papas, 
an*  made  *em  div  'em  de  money  for  de  pipe- 
man,  an'  den  dey  all  went  up  to  the  door  of  de 

no 


A  Browning  Afternoon 


mountain-hole,  an'  dey  made  huch  a  noise  dat 
de  pipe-man  toodn't  bleep.  An'  dey  made  him 
unnertan'  dat  de  fault  wasn't  deirs,  but  de 
childrens  was  deirs.  An'  dey  divved  him  de 
money,  to  let  'em  in.  An'  den  dere  was  a 
dwate  time,  an'  don't  you  fordet  it.  An'  dey 
divved  de  pipe-man  hum  more  money  to  let  in 
de  papas  dat  wasn't  no  mayors  nor  torpyhum- 
fin's.  An'  dey  all  'tayed  dere,  to  droe  up  wiv 
de  tuntry,  like  papa  hays  we'll  do  when  we  all 
doe  out  to  de  mountains  where  our  mamma 
tum  from.  An'  de  old  mayor  an'  torpyhum- 
fin'  dot  to  be  'tupid  old  fossils,  like  papa  hays 
all  mans  is  dat  don't  have  children." 

"  Hooray  ! "  squealed  the  Insect,  while  I 
wished  there  were  a  telephone  to  the  spirit- 
land,  so  I  might  have  the  Tiger  repeat  the 
amended  story  to  Mr.  Browning. 


Ill 


CHAPTER  X 
A  Visit  to  the  Animals 

Letters  from  Kate  continued  to  arrive  at 
the  rate  of  two  a  day,  and  though  they 
abounded  in  sisterly  affection,  as  well  as  in  ex- 
uberances which  showed  that  the  dear  girl's 
health  was  already  improving,  there  were 
oceans  of  ink  lavished  upon  the  children.  I 
was  told  not  only  what  to  do  in  many  possible 
emergencies  that  Kate  fancied,  but  there  was 
as  much  about  the  children's  characteristics  as 
if  I,  who  had  them  in  charge  for  the  time  be- 
ing, was  either  blind  or  abnormally  stupid. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  I  already  knew  all  that 
could  be  learned  about  them,  for,  though  they 
were  my  nieces,  were  they  not  mere  chil- 
dren ? — intelligent  and  affectionate,  but,  thank 
heaven,  entirely  honest,  innocent,  and  trans- 
parent ?  Woman  though  I  was,  and  very 
proud,  too,  of  my  new  dignity,  my  own  dolls 
and  other  playthings  had  been  laid  away  only 
four  or  five  years,  and  my  recollection  of 

112 


A  Visit  to  the  Animals 


earlier  days,  almost  all  the  way  back  to  baby- 
hood, were  still  vivid,  so  no  matter  what 
either  of  the  little  dears  might  do  or  say,  I 
could  quickly  ''put  myself  in  her  place." 

But  "Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart 
the  mouth  speaketh,"  so  dear  Kate  couldn't 
have  withheld  any  of  her  instructions  and 
cautions  and  other  heart-throbs  about  her  dar- 
lings— not  even  had  she  been  writing  to  a 
mother-angel  from  heaven,  instead  of  to  an 
ordinary  flesh-and-blood  sister  with  only  three 
or  four  years  of  long  dresses  to  her  credit. 
Of  course,  my  own  letters  were  as  full  of  the 
children  as  Kate's,  partly  because  I  had  little 
else  to  write  of,  but  also  that  the  absent 
mother  might  know  of  all  the  daily  doings  of 
her  darlings.  Fortunately  there  was  nothing 
unpleasant  to  report,  nothing  to  conceal.  For 
the  rest,  I  was  enjoying  my  first  unrestricted 
revel  with  two  little  girls, — the  younger  chil- 
dren in  our  family  at  home  were  all  boys — and 
I  was  so  happy  in  it  that  my  heart  overflowed 
on  many  pages  to  Kate  and  to  my  mother. 

One  of  my  longest  letters  home  was  about  a 
trip  to  an  excursionists'  resort,  a  few  miles 
from  the  city — a  resort  which  Mrs.  Lyle  said 

113 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

was  entirely  a  safe  one  to  which  a  young 
woman  might  take  two  children,  and  of  which 
the  Tiger  said : 

"  It's  dandy  !  Mamma's  took  us  dere  lots, 
an'  papa,  too,  humtimes.  Dere's  lions  dere, 
an'  hoda  water,  an'  el'phants,  an'  donkey-tar- 
riages,  an'  tandy,  an'  boats,  an'  all  tynds  of 
tats." 

Dwate  bid  tats!"  added  the  Insect,  ex- 
tending her  chubby  hands  as  far  apart  as 
possible.  "  As  bid  as,  oh,  " — here  the  hands 
dropped  helplessly, — as  bid  as  you  is  ! " 

**  Incie,  dear,  I  fear  you've  been  using  mag- 
nifying glasses." 

*'  Didn't  never  wear  no  maddenfire  dlasses, 
nor  no  uvver  tynd,  eiver,  'cep'  when  dwate- 
dwan'pa  put  his  dlasses  on  me,  hoe  I  tood  play 
dwan'ma." 

We  made  the  trip  by  boat,  which  took  us 
through  the  East  River,  where  I  saw  many  of 
New  York's  wonders.  At  first  I  longed  for  a 
guidebook,  but  the  children,  who  seemed 
familiar  with  the  route,  volunteered  so  much  in- 
formation regarding  objects  of  interest  that  I 
was  instructed  as  well  as  amused. 

Dat's  de  Batt'ry,"  said  the  Tiger,  as  we 
114 


A  Visit  to  the  Animals 


passed  a  park  at  the  southern  tip  of  the  city, 
"  an'  dat  funny  wound  bwown  house  on  it  used 
to  be  a  fort,  to  shoot  people  from — hee  de 
'quare  holes  where  de  cannons  used  to  turn 
fwue  ?  Now  it's  a  'twarium — a  house  full  of 
fishes,  an'  each  tynd  of  fish  lives  in  a  baff-tub 
all  its  own,  an'  tan  wiggle  about  all  it  likes 
wivout  bein'  told  not  to  'plash  water  on  de 
floor.  Dey  don't  have  to  be  wiped  off  wiv 
towels,  eiver,  an'  made  to  be  tareful  dat  dey 
don't  tatch  told. 

*'  Hee  dat  fing  like  a  big  fence  hung  acwoss 
de  wivver  ?  Dat's  Bwooklyn  Bwidge.  It  don't 
look  very  big  now,  but  when  you  det  tlose  to 
it,  it's  awful.  You  want  to  hyut  your  eyes, 
'tause  you'll  be  'fraid  it'll  fall  down  an'  hit 
you. 

Oh,  hee  dat  place  where  a  fewwy-boat's 
tummin'  out,  djust  dis  hide  o'  de  bwidge  ? 
Well,  dat's  where  Gen'ral  Washin'ton  bwought 
his  soldiers  down  to,  after  dey  dot  beat  in  a 
big  battle  out  on  Long  Island,  an'  had  to 
hurry  over  to  New  York,  an'  dere  wasn't  any 
bwidge  den,  nor  'team  fewwy-boats,  neiver,  nor 
— ugh  ! — we's  doein'  under  de  bwidge  !  Hyut 
your  eyes,  Incie,  an'  help  me  hay — 

115 


/ 

The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


"  *  Bwidgie,  bwidgie,  don't  fall  down, 

Or  I'll  waise  a  howl  dat'U  wouse  de  town.* " 

The  children  repeated  this  rhyme  several 
times  in  a  matter-of-fact  way,  and  with  closed 
eyes  ;  then,  as  if  there  had  been  no  inter- 
ruption, the  Tiger  continued : 

"  Hee  dat  big  yellow  house,  up  dere  past  de 
bwidge,  on  de  Bwooklyn  hide  ?  Well,  de  navy 
yard's  behind,  dat,  hoe  lets  look  for  battle-hyips, 
an'  twoozers,  an'  dun  boats  an'  torpeedy  boats. 
Ain't  it  funny  dat  dwate  big  'trong  fings  like 
dem  boats  has  to  be  doctored  humtimes,  djust 
like  little  dirls  ?  Well,  dey  do  ;  Papa  hays 
dat's  what  dey  turns  to  navy-yards  for." 

**  Mebbe  dey  eats  humfin'  dat  disagwees  wiv 
'em,  when  dey's  hailin'  wound,"  suggested  the 
Insect;  *' hyarks,  or  whales,  or  hee-lions,  or 
humfin'.  I  haw  one  of  'em  bein'  doctored,  one 
day  after  papa  told  us  'bout  de  hyips  bein'  hick, 
an'  de  hyip  opened  its  fwont  part  djust  like  a 
mouf,  an*  a  doctor  as  bid  as  de  tuck-up-part 
of  a  church  divved  it  hum  med'cine  wiv  a 
'poon,  an'  " 

"  Incie  !"  I  exclaimed  severely,  to  end  this 
impossible  story.  As  I  spoke  the  Tiger 
whispered  at  my  ear  : 

ii6 


A  Visit  to  the  Animals 


Hyee  dj earned  it — don't  you  hee  ?  "  Then 
she  said  aloud,  "  Incie  dear,  what  did  de  hick 
hyip  do  den  ?  " 

*'  Oh,  it  kwyed,  an'  hed  it  wanted  hum  tandy 
to  take  de  bad  taste  out  of  its  mouf.  An'  de 
doc'w'jr  dave  it  hum  mosh-mallows.  An'  den 
I  wished  I  was  hick  too  !  " 

*'  Phew  !  "  exclaimed  the  Tiger  soon  after 
the  story  ended,  and  we  were  passing  a  great 
lot  of  ugly  looking  buildings  on  the  Brooklyn 
side,  *'  do  you  know  what  dey  make  in  dem 
fact'ries  ?  Dey  make  all  tynds  of  bad  hmells. 
An*  you  hee  dat  dwate  bid  house  on  de  island, 
wiv  little  windows  all  over  it  ?  You  know 
what  dat  is  ?  Dat's  a  pwison,  where  dey  puts 
bad  peoples." 

**  I  wish,"  said  I,  with  my  handkerchief  at 
my  nose,  *'  that  they'd  put  the  smell-makers 
there." 

"  Hoe  do  I,  an'  mamma  hays  dey'd  do  it  if 
papa  tood  be  mayor  a  while.  But  dere's 
humfin  badder  tummin'.  You  hee  dat  place 
up  dere  where  de  wivver  turns  'wound  de 
torner  ?  Well,  dat's  de  door  of  de  bad  place — 
anyhow,  people  hays  hoe." 

"What  on  earth  do  you  mean,  Tiggie?" 
117 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Djust  what  I  hay.  De  name  of  it  is  Hell 
Date.  But  Nowah  hays  dat  dere's  hum  mis- 
take 'bout  it,  'tause  dere  ain't  no  water  all 
'wound  de  door  of  de  bad  place,  else  it  would 
det  inside  when  de  door  was  open,  an'  put  out 
de  fire.  An'  I  dess  Nowah  knows,  't  use 
hyee's  djedful  weligious  an'  does  to  church 
ev'ry  Hunday." 

After  passing  Hell  Gate  the  boat  entered  a 
stretch  of  water  that  delighted  my  eyes,  so 
unaccustomed  from  youth  to  scenes  in  which 
water  was  prominent.  Little  coves  and  capes 
were  on  either  shore,  and  bold  hills  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  I  began  to  "  snap  "  a  pocket-camera 
at  different  bits  of  scenery. 

**  What  you  doein'  to  do  wiv  dem  pittchers, 
Auntie  Nell  ?"  asked  the  Insect. 

Take  them  back  home — out  West,  dear, 
to  remind  me  of  what  I've  seen,  and  to  show 
my  parents  and  brothers." 

"  Boo — hoo — hoo  !  "  exclaimed  the  Tiger. 

"  What  have  you  done  to  yourself  dear  ?— 
what's  happened  to  you  ?  "  I  asked  quickly. 

**  Noffin', — boo-hoo — hoo!"  was  the  reply, 
as  the  child  sat  motionless,  with  tears  stream- 
ing down  her  cheeks. 

ii8 


A  Visit  to  the  Animals 


*'  I  wants  to  kwy  too,"  said  the  Insect,  dig- 
ging her  little  fists  into  her  eyes,     But  I  tan't." 

"Why  should  either  of  you  cry  ?"  I  asked, 
taking  the  Insect  into  my  lap. 

It's  'bout  dat  bid  house  over  dere."  As  she 
spoke,  the  Insect  extended  her  hand  toward  a 
great  brick  building — the  largest  single  build- 
ing I  ever  saw. 

You  know  what  dat  is  ?"  asked  the  Tiger, 
her  eyes  eloquent  with  sadness.  "  Dat's  a 
hylum,  an'  dere's  hundreds  an'  fousan's  of 
children  dere  dat  ain't  dot  any  papas  an' 
mammas.  It  always  makes  me  kwy  to  fink 
'bout  'em." 

"  I  used  to  kwy  'bout  *em  too,"  said  the  In- 
sect, **  till  I  went  over  dere  an'  haw  all  de 
children  out  on  de  gwass  a-playin',  an'  each 
one  of  'em  had  a  papa-an'-mamma  angel  wiv 
'em,  djust  like  mamma  hed  hyee  'pected  dere 
was.  De  children  didn't  hee  'em,  but  I  did. 
An'  de  papa-an'-mamma  angels  tep'  de  chil- 
dren from  lots  of  hurts,  'cept  dey  was  bound 
to  det  into  twouble  anyhow." 

I  suppose  I  manifested  surprise  at  this  un- 
expected statement,  for  the  Tiger  made  haste 
to  wipe  her  tear-stained  face  on  my  cheek  and 
to  whisper : 

119 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


"  Dat's  anuvver  of  de  Insec's  djeams.  I 
wish  I'd  djeamed  it  too,  so  I  could  have  a 
pittcher  of  it  in  my  eyes."  And  the  Tiger's 
eyes  flowed  afresh.  I  tried  to  comfort  her, 
and  I  said  to  her  sister : 

'*  Incie,  if  you  saw  the  children  with  angels 
about  them,  why  should  you  wish  to  cry  ?  " 

"  'Tause,"  was  the  reply,  as  the  Insect  again 
endeavored  to  squeeze  some  moisture  from 
her  eyes,  "'tause  Tiggie's  kwyin'.  I  likes  to 
do  de  hame  fings  Tiggie  does." 

At  the  rail  of  the  boat  sat  a  very  stout  Ger- 
man who  had  fallen  asleep  and  whose  head  was 
rolling  in  a  manner  that  would  have  amused 
me  but  for  my  niece's  sorrow.  He  was  di- 
rectly in  the  line  of  the  Tiger's  tearful  gaze  at 
the  asylum,  but  the  child  did  not  seem  to  see 
him.  Suddenly  while  the  new  flow  of  tears 
was  at  its  flood,  and  no  efl"ort  of  mine  could 
stay  it,  the  German's  hat  tumbled  ofl"  and 
struck  the  deck  with  a  hollow  sound,  and 
the  German  woke  with  a  face  full  of  sur- 
prise, and  the  Tiger  laughed  so  heartily  and  so 
persistently  through  her  tears  that  I  had  to 
hide  her  face,  and  beg  her  to  control  herself. 
Before  she  succeeded,  the  asylum  had  been 

1 20 


A  Visit  to  the  Animals 


passed,  and  she  and  the  Insect  were  tickling 
one  another  as  merrily  as  if  there  were  not  an 
orphan  or  a  sorrow  in  the  world. 

Now,  Auntie  Nell,"  said  the  Tiger,  as  the 
boat  approached  its  dock,  dis  is  'bout  de 
time  o'  de  twip  when  we  always  has  to  hettle 
de  twestion  :  Is  we  doin'  to  have  hoda-water 
an'  tandy  on  de  way  to  de  animals,  or  on  de 
way  back  ?  " 

Very  well,  dear.  It  shall  be  either  way 
you  wish." 

*'  Dat's  what  mamma  always  hays,  but  the 
twubble  is  to  d'cide.  I  like  to  have  'em  first, 
but  I  like  to  'ticipate  'em  too." 

Suppose  we  let  the  little  sister  decide. 
Incie,  dear,  which  shall  it  be? — before  or 
after?" 

The  precious  eyes  grew  large  and  filled  with 
longing  and  the  sweet  little  mouth  replied  : 
Bofe  !  " 

Hyee  always  hays  dat,"  said  the  Tiger, 
"but" — here  she  sighed — mamma  finks  to 
have  'em  one  way  is  enough.  Hyee  finks  two 
helpin's  of  hoda-water  an'  tandy  is  bad  for  our 
d'jestions,  hoe  I  'pose  we  ought  to  fink  hoe 
too,  but  we  don't  like  to." 

121 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


As  they  devoured  with  their  eyes  the  entire 
confectioner's  shop  at  the  head  of  the  pier,  I 
filled  their  mouths  also.  Then  they  led  me 
to  several  mechanical  swings,  where  I  treated 
them  to  some  moments  of  bliss.  We  went  on 
to  a  pool  in  which  large  sea-lions  sported  and 
grunted,  and  dived  for  fish  thrown  by  their 
keeper  ;  I  could  have  stared  at  them  for  hours, 
but  the  children,  one  at  either  side,  soon  tugged 
me  away,  toward  a  circular  path  on  which 
donkeys  drew  little  carriages.  I  took  the 
hint,  and  soon  my  nieces  were  looking  so 
happy  that  I  gladly  paid  for  successive  rides 
until  thfe  Tiger  exclaimed  : 

Now  for  the  monkeys  an'  tats  !  " 

Soon  we  were  at  the  monkey-cages  and  the 
children  were  in  ecstacies,  though  the  animals 
affected  me  unpleasantly — they  were  too  sug- 
gestive of  some  people  whom  I  disliked.  'Twas 
a  great  relief  to  be  introduced  to  the  ele- 
phants— the  first  I  had  ever  seen  ;  I  soon  lost 
myself  in  contemplation  of  their  immensity,  and 
homeliness,  and  imperturbability.  But  the 
Tiger  tugged  at  my  hand  and  said  : 

We  don't  like  el'phants.  Dey  don't  look  as  if 
dey'd  like  to  be  petted.   Let's  doe  hee  de  tats  !  '* 

122 


A  Visit  to  the  Animals 


De  dwate  bid  tats !  "  added  the  Insect. 

"  In  a  moment,  dears,"  I  replied.  Auntie 
Nell  never  saw  elephants  before." 

Do  you  know  what  I  fink  ?  "  said  the  Tiger. 
"  I  fink  dat  biggest  el'phant  acts  djust  like  Mr. 
'Twyver  when  he  tums  a-visitin'." 

I  turned  so  abruptly  as  to  snatch  both 
children  from  their  feet  and  I  asked  : 

"  Where  are  the  cats  ?  " 

I  was  hurried  to  a  row  of  great  outdoor 
cages,  in  which  were  panthers,  tigers,  leopards, 
pumas,  lynxes,  lions,  etc.,  most  of  which  were 
pacing  their  floors  as  industriously  as  if  hoping 
to  wear  holes  in  the  boards,  through  which 
they  might  escape.  The  children  greeted 
these  terrible  beasts  as  if  they  were  old  acquaint- 
ances, and  they  addressed  each  by  a  human 
name,  though  no  such  names  were  aflfixed  to 
the  cages — Mrs.  Brown,  Mr.  Dean,  Miss  Rol- 
lins, Major  Perk,  Dr.  Trimmer,  etc.  They 
talked  to  the  great  brutes  and  expressed  opin- 
ions of  them  and  asked  them  questions,  and  ap- 
parently imagined  answers,  for  the  chatter  was 
incessant,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  some  of  the 
animals  manifested  interest  in  the  speakers^ — 
probably  a  longing  to  eat  the  little  dears,  which 

123 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


was  so  comprehensible  to  me  that  I  couldn't 
blame  the  poor  creatures,  though  I  instinctively 
held  the  children  so  close  to  me  that  the 
Insect  squealed  : 

*'Ovv!    You's  hurtin*  me!" 

But  there  was  one  animal — a  lion  with  a 
noble  face  and  magnificent  mane,  to  whom  the 
children  did  not  speak  and  who  did  not  look 
at  any  of  us.  He  stood  as  motionless  as  a 
bronze  figure  and  stared  fixedly  at — nothing, 
apparently.  He  did  not  seem  expectant,  for 
his  eyes,  though  not  dull,  had  the  resigned  look 
that  I  had  seen  in  the  eyes  of  some  old  "  pro- 
spectors," out  in  our  mining  country,  whose 
golden  chances  had  slipped  through  their  fin- 
gers and  who  my  father  said  were  always 
looking  backward  instead  of  forward.  How 
long  we  might  have  gazed  at  him  I  do 'not 
know,  for  an  impish  boy,  who  approached  us 
slyly,  flung  a  pebble  which  struck  a  bar  of  the 
cage  sharply  and  the  bronze  figure  changed 
quickly  to  a  brute  so  angry  that  he  frightened 
us  away.  The  Tiger — Kate's  Tiger — sighed 
and  said  : 

"  Poor  ol'  lion  !  You  know  what  he  was 
finkin'  'bout  ? — he  does  it  lots  of  times.  He's 

124 


A  Visit  to  the  Animals 


finking  'bout  de  time  when  he  was  a  Httle  boy 
lion,  an'  lived  in  de  woods,  an'  could  wun  about 
as  much  as  he  liked.  Dat's  what  papa  finks, 
an'  I  fink  hoe  too,  'tause  I  tan  hee  it  in  his 
eyes.  When  papa  dets  witch,  an'  divs  Incie 
an'  me  a  lot  o'  money,  we's  doein'  to  buy  dat 
lion,  an'  buy  a  'teamboat,  an'  put  de  lion  in  it,  an' 
take  him  over  to  Affiker,  where  he  turn  fwom, 
an'  let  him  loose,  to  find  his  home  an'  fam'ly." 

"  I  heen  him  wiv  his  fam'ly,  one  time,"  said 
Insect.  ''He  an'  de  mamma-lion  an'  de  little 
lion  was  doein'  to  de  market,  wiv'  a  basket,  to 
buy  hum  meat  for  dinner,  an'  he  looked  as  hap-  ^ 
py  as  papa  does  when  Hunday  tums.  But — " 
and  the  Insect's  voice  grew  plaintive,  "  I 
tan't  hee  what  he  tummed  back  here  for." 

The  Tiger  squeezed  my  hand  and  pulled  it 
till  I  looked  down  inquiringly  ;  then  she  whis- 
pered : 

"Djeam!" 

We  returned  to  the  city  by  an  early  boat, 
for  Norah  had  told  me  that  Kate  usually 
planned  to  have  the  Insect  get  her  afternoon 
nap  in  the  cabin.  When  the  blessed  dreamer 
got  fairly  into  Napland,  with  the  sister  and  me 
on  guard  near  by,  I  said  : 

125 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

Tiggie  !  After  all  the  talk  about  big  cats, 
you  children  forgot  to  show  them  to  me  ! " 

The  Tiger  looked  astonished  and  almost 
contemptuous  as  she  replied : 

Why,  you  been  'em  all ! — de  tigers  an' 
lions  an'  panfers  an'  leopards  an'  fings.  Didn't 
you  know  all  dem  wasn't  nuffiin'  but  big  tats  ?  " 

Ah  !  I — see.    But  where  did  you  get  their 

names — Mrs.  Brown  and  Doctor  " 

**  Oh,  we  divved  dem  to  'em  ourselves,  'tause 
dey  'minds  us  of  peoples  we  know.  Papa  an' 
mamma  hays  ev'rybody  'minds  *em  of  hum 
,tynd  of  animal  or  bird  or  fish  or  humfin',  an' 
it's  de  hame  way  wiv  Incie  an'  me.  I  never 
knew  who  the  el'phants  looked  like  till  to-day, 
but  didn't  dat  biggest  one  look  djust  like  Mr. 
'Twyver  when  he  tums  a-visitin'  an'  'tands  up  as 
if  he  didn't  know  how  to  hit  down  ?  " 


126 


CHAPTER  XI 


^^Playin  Hoss'^ 

My  days  soon  came  to  have  a  routine  as 
unvarying  as  the  round  of  the  clock.  Immedi- 
ately after  breakfast  the  children  and  Kate's 
bicycle  accompanied  me  to  Riverside  Drive, 
where  I  always  found  Mrs.  Lyle  and  Mr. 
Stryver  awaiting  me,  and  under  their  tuition 
I  soon  became  so  efficient  that  little  or  no 
assistance  was  necessary.  From  the  gentle 
slopes  of  the  bicycle  path  I  graduated  to  the 
sharper  decline  and  ascent  around  Grant's 
tomb  ;  I  learned  to  turn  in  space  so  small 
that  Mr.  Stryver,  borrowing  a  technical  phrase 
from  the  navy,  said  my  "  tactical  diameter " 
was  ten  feet,  scant,  which  would  enable  me  to 
practice  in  Kate's  little  parlor  when  a  rainy 
day  should  come. 

The  children — bless  them  !  — never  made  me 
the  least  trouble  while  we  were  at  the  Drive. 
•  Instead  of  doing  dreadful  things,  such  as  my 
experiences   with  my  little  brothers  would 

127 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


have  led  me  to  expect  from  boys,  they 
remained  wherever  I  placed  them,  whether  on 
a  bench,  or  leaning  against  the  wall,  or  near 
the  mothers  and  nurses  who  had  wheeled 
babies  over  in  carriages  to  sit  in  the  shade  of 
the  trees  and  breathe  the  fresh,  pure  air  that 
came  from  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Boys 
would  have  chased  the  few  carriages  and 
automobiles  that  appeared  in  the  roadways,  or 
thrown  pebbles  at  the  equestrians  who  came 
through  the  bridle  path,  but  the  Tiger  and 
the  Insect  were  never  venturesome.  Mrs. 
Lyle  said  she  never  saw  better  children,  and 
as  she  had  little  girls  of  her  own  I  thought  the 
compliment  great  enough  to  repeat  by  letter 
to  Kate,  but  the  dear  bundle  of  conceit  replied  : 

"How  could  she  help  it?  Her  children 
have  inherited  some  fine  blood  from  their 
mother,  but  their  father — why,  he  and  Harry 
are  not  to  be  mentioned  in  the  same  day — week 
— month — year,  though  Mr.  Lyle  is  far  better 
than  men  in  general." 

Even  Mr.  Stryver  seemed  to  find  my  nieces 
interesting.  This  astonished  me,  for  I  had 
seldom  or  never  met  young  men  who  did  not 
regard  all  children   as  nuisances.    But  Mr. 

128 


"  Playin^  Hoss** 


Stryver  frequently  chatted  with  Tiggie  and 
Incie,  while  his  sister  and  I  rode  up  and 
down  the  path  together,  and  he  said  some 
nice  things  about  them,  which  I  never  failed 
to  repeat  in  my  letters  to  Kate,  for  it  had 
been  evident,  ever  since  she  left  home,  that 
her  darlings  were  always  in  her  mind.  I 
refrained,  however,  from  repeating  the  shock- 
ing discovery  that  Mr.  Stryver  was  slyly  and 
patiently  teaching  the  children  to  utter  dis- 
tinctly certain  sounds  which  they  ignored 
in  conversation  ;  in  short,  he  was  preparing 
them  to  speak  plainly.  I  would  not  have 
regretted  the  change,  for  my  own  sake,  for,  as 
"  evil  communications  corrupt  good  manners  " 
I  had  several  times  found  myself  conforming 
my  *'r  s"  and  *'g's"  and  other  consonants  to 
the  children's  system  of  pronunciation  and 
I  knew  that  if  perchance  I  carried  any  such 
jargon  back  home  with  me  I  would  never  hear 
the  end  of  it. 

**  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  understand,  my 
dear,"  said  Mrs.  Lyle  to  me  one  morning, 
while  we  were  resting  by  our  wheels,  "  how 
you  keep  the  children  so  clean.  When  my 
little  girls  come  over  here,  I  see  to  it  that 

129 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


they're  in  brown  frocks  and  stockings  and 
shoes — everything  as  near  dirt  color  as 
possible.  They  do  nothing  dreadful,  but 
somehow  they  rub  against  the  wall,  and  put 
their  arms  around  the  trees,  and  lean  over  my 
bicycle-tires,  and  pick  up  bits  of  stone,  until 
they  would  look  like  guttersnipes  if  they  had 
come  out  all  in  white,  like  Tiggie  and  Incie 
this  morning." 

Give  Kate  the  entire  credit,"  I  replied. 
**  I've  not  attempted  to  teach  them  anything, 
for  they've  made  me  no  trouble.  They  play 
on  the  floor  at  home,  and  have  to  be  washed 
frequently,  and  they  find  dirt  in  the  park  in 
front  of  the  house,  and  frequently  tear  their 
clothes,  but  they  really  seem  to  have  some 
care  for  their  appearance,  when  they're  in 
white." 

As  we  talked,  the  children  stood  on  the 
grass,  perhaps  two  hundred  feet  from  us,  be- 
tween the  bicycle-path  and  the  saddle-path  ; 
hand  in  hand  and  all  in  white,  gazing  upward, 
probably  at  a  bird  in  the  trees  ;  they  looked 
like  a  pair  of  angels,  newly  arrived  and  won- 
dering if  they  had  not  better  return.  An 
equestrian  rode  past  them  at  the  gallop — an 

130 


"  Playin'  Hoss  " 

unusual  gait  with  New  Yorkers,  most  of  whom 
ride  at  the  trot,  as  if  their  sole  purpose  was  to 
look  as  awkward  and  unhorsemanlike  as  pos- 
sible. As  the  saddle-path  was  of  soft  earth 
that  a  night  shower  had  made  moist,  the 
horse's  feet  threw  small  masses  of  dirt  back- 
ward, and  the  spectacle  reminded  me  so 
strongly  of  home  that  my  eyes  followed  the 
rider  as  he  passed  up  the  road,  until  my  at- 
tention was  arrested  by  a  commanding  shout 
of  **  Children !  "  from  Mr.  Stryver,  and  by  Mrs. 
Lyle  exclaiming : 

Miss  Trewsome  ! — my  dear  ! — do  look  at 
your  nieces  ! " 

I  turned  my  head  and  saw  the  children 
standing  side  by  side  in  the  saddle-path  and 
pawing  the  earth  as  if  in  imitation  of  the 
horse.  Suddenly  they  stopped  and  began 
talking  to  one  another:  then  the  Insect 
stepped  two  or  three  paces  backward,  and  the 
Tiger  dug  her  toes  into  the  earth  and  kicked 
rapidly  towards  her  sister,  a  lot  of  dirt  respond- 
ing to  each  kick.  The  Insect  followed  the 
Tiger's  example,  and  quickly  there  was  in 
progress  a  veritable  dirt-fight,  accompanied  by 
shouts  of  '  I's  a  hoss  !  "  Do  it  hum  more  j  " 
Do  it  faster  !  "  and  similar  cries. 

131 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


I  flew  to  the  rescue  of  their  clothes  and 
eyes,  but  before  I  reached  the  scene  of  conflict 
a  kick  that  was  a  trifle  too  vigorous  had  de- 
prived the  Tiger  of  her  footing,  and  down  she 
fell,  at  full  length  into  the  dirt.  Instantly  the 
Insect  seated  herself  upon  the  fallen  figure 
and  squealed : 

"  I's  beat  you  !    Hooway  ! " 

A  wriggle  of  the  Tiger  unseated  her  con- 
queror, who  rolled  over  and  fell — face  down- 
ward, of  course,  and  there  arose  a  compound 
yell  and  when  I  picked  them  up  two  disgrace- 
fully dirty  children  were  crying  bitterly,  and 
sputtering  bits  of  earth  from  their  mouths  and 
wiping  their  eyes  with  dirty  hands. 

You  abominable  little  wretches ! "  I  ex- 
claimed. What  do  you  mean  by  such  con- 
duct— and  while  Auntie  Nell  was  trusting  you, 
too  !    I  shall  write  your  mother  all  about  it." 

Be  tareful  to  tell  her  dat  I  beated  Tiggie," 
said  the  Insect.  "  An*  'twas  larks  !  Hooway ! 
I  beated  ! " 

"  Tiggie,  how  did  you  come  to  do  such  a 
dreadful  thing?" 

"Why,  you  hee,  de  man's  horse  frew  dirt 
wiv  his  foots,  an'  we  touldn't  unner'tan  how  he 

132 


"  Playin'  Hoss " 


done  it,  hoe  we  twied  to  find  out.  An*  we 
toodn't  hee  behind  us,  to  know  if  we  was  doin' 
it,  hoe  we  turned  wound,  an'  den  our  foots 
began  to  fwoe  de  dirt  at  each  uvver,  Hke  we 
done  in  de  hnow  in  de  winter — we  had  drate 
hnow  fights  dat  way  last  winter." 

"  But  didn't  you  see  that  you  were  kicking 
dirt  on  each  other's  clean  white  clothes  ?" 
Ye— es." 

**  Then  why  didn't  you  stop  ?  " 

"  Why — 'tause — why,  I  dess — ^why,  when 
you  bedins  fightin',  even  if  it's  only  for  fun, 
you  don't  'zackly  know  how  to  'top — don't  you 
know?" 

I  did;  but  in  the  circumstances  I  was  not 
inclined  to  admit  it  while  looking  at  the 
children's  blotched  and  spotted  frocks  and 
streaked  and  smeared  faces. 

But,  children  !  What  do  you  suppose 
Mrs.  Lyle  and  her  brother  will  think  ?  and 
what  will  the  people  we  meet  on  the  way  home 
think,  when  they  see  you  ?  " 

The  Insect  cast  a  timid,  inquiring  look  at 
the  Tiger,  who  cast  it  back  to  the  Insect,  two 
dirty  little  faces  twitched  forth  broad  smiles,  the 
Insect  looked  fearlessly  at  me  and  replied ; 

133 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


*'  I  dess  dey'll  fink  we's  been  havin'  fun." 

"  Cartloads  of  fun  !"  added  the  Tiger. 

I  quickly  found  myself  wondering  how  I 
could  get  my  disgraces  home  unseen  and  hide 
them  in  the  bathroom ;  while  I  wondered, 
Mrs.  Lyle  and  her  brother  approached,  both 
smiling  as  pleasantly  as  if  nothing  unusual  had 
occurred. 

Children,"  said  Mr.  Stryver,  "  perhaps 
your  aunt  will  let  me  take  you  up  to  the  drink- 
ing fountain  at  the  head  of  the  bicycle-path. 
I  shouldn't  wonder  if  your  faces  would  look 
better  afterward." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Stryver," — I  began,  but  Mrs. 
Lyle  whispered : 

Better  he  than  you.  Men  don't  mind  dirt. 
Besides,  he's  had  some  experience  with  his 
own  nieces." 

I  protested  no  longer.    Mrs.  Lyle  said  : 
"  Don't  look  so  distressed,  my  dear.  One 
would  suppose  you'd  never  seen  children  let 
themselves  loose  before." 

I've  had  my  sorrows  with  boys,"  I  replied ; 
"but  I  never  imagined  that  two  little  girls, 
like  " 

**  Dear  me  !    Were  you  and  Kate  brought  up 
134 


"  Playin'  Hoss" 

in  a  convent? — or  in  a  band-box?  I  was  a 
thorough  tomboy  when  I  was  Httle,  and  I  can't 
say  that  I  regret  it." 

I  laughed,  for  I  began  to  recall  some  of  the 
dreadful  things  that  Kate  and  I  had  done  in 
our  short-frock  days.  I  confessed  that  we  had 
climbed  trees,  and  made  clay  images,  and 
played  at  gold-mining  all  over  our  back  yard, 
digging  pits  deep  enough  to  hide  us  and  make 
our  clothes  almost  unfit  for  self-respecting 
wash-tubs,  but — we  had  never  indulged  in  a 
dirt  fight  on  a  public  highway,  and  in  white 
clothes.  Had  our  mother  ever  been  obliged 
to  lead  us  homeward,  in  such  a  plight  as  my 
nieces,  and  through  a  mile  of  streets  and  park- 
paths,  with  as  many  people  to  meet  as  always 
are  abroad  in  New  York  by  daylight,  no  matter 
what  the  hour,  she  would  

"She  wouldn't  specially  care,  unless  she 
chanced  to  know  the  people,"  said  Mrs.  Lyle, 
in  a  strain  of  philosophy  which  seems  to  be 
quite  comforting  to  city  people.  Besides,  I 
do  believe  that  Wayne — but  never  mind  ;  don't 
worry  any  more  about  the  children  until  you 
must.  We  bicyclists  have  some  devices  for 
making  the  best  of  stained  clothing.  When 

135 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Wayne  is  done  with  the  children,  I'll  take  them 
in  hand.  But  oh,  if  you'd  brought  your 
camera!  What  a  picture  you  might  have  got 
of  your  nieces  to  show  their  mother — after  her 
return ! " 

Gradually  the  cheery  little  woman  forced 
me  to  forget  the  humiliating  homeward  trip  I 
was  expecting,  and  she  and  I  rode  slowly  to  the 
foot  of  the  path  and  back,  stopping  en  route 
to  gaze  at  some  houses  which  I  greatly  admired. 
On  our  return  my  nieces  arose  from  a  bench 
on  which  they  were  sitting  with  Mr.  Stryver 
and  the  Tiger  asked  : 

**  What  do  you  fink  of  us  now  ?  " 

Their  cleanly  appearance  puzzled  me,  until 
I  took  them  in  hand,  when  I  discovered  that 
over  the  front  of  each  little  frock  white  hand- 
kerchiefs had  been  neatly  draped  to  hide  the 
dirty  garments. 

**  Mr.  Stryver!  I  couldn't  have  believed  it 
possible  !  But  where  did  you  get  so  many 
handkerchiefs  ? — and  so  many  dozens  of 
pins?" 

I  hadn't  far  to  go  for  them,"  was  the 
reply,  "  for  bicyclists — long-distance  riders, 
soon  learn  by  experience  that  'tis  impossible 

136 


"  Playin'  Hoss " 


to  carry  too  many  handkerchiefs — or  pins,  for 
accidents  will  occur,  to  men." 

But  how  did  you  know  what  to  do  ? — and 
how  to  do  it  ?  " 

The  young  man  looked  quizzically  at  his 
sister,  who  laughed  and  said  : 

He's  taken  my  children  fishing  and  nutting, 
and  after  pond-lilies  and  frog-spawn,  and  good- 
ness only  knows  what  else,  and  he's  heard  from 
me  when  he's  brought  them  home  in  a  disgrace- 
ful condition.  Really,  your  nieces  look  far 
better  than  they  did,  don't  you  think  so  ? — not 
quite  the  thing  for  a  lawn  party  in  the  suburbs, 
but  " 

**  But  quite  neat  enough  to  be  taken  home 
without  attracting  attention,"  said  I,  **  and  I 
never  can  thank  Mr.  Stryver  enough." 

"  Please  don't  mention  it,"  said  the  young 
man.  ''If  you'll  permit,  I'll  guide  you  through 
streets  where  houses  and  people  are  fewest ;  in 
your  own  park  you'll  meet  scarcely  any  one  at 
this  hour." 

So  we  all  returned  together,  meeting  almost 
no  one.  I  forgot  the  accident  and  the  chil- 
dren seemed  entirely  willing  to  overlook  all  that 
had  occurred. 

137 


CHAPTER  XIT 
A  Day  of  Mythology 

On  returning  from  the  bicycle-path  it  was 
my  custom  to  write  a  long  letter  to  Kate,  in 
which  I  enclosed  whatever  the  children  might 
pen  or  pencil  or  indite.  But  it  was  not  always 
easy  to  obtain  such  enclosures,  for  the  children 
had  their  own  special  household  duties,  the 
principal  of  which  was  the  care  of  their  dolls. 
These  counterfeit  infants  had  corners  of  the 
nursery  set  apart  for  their  accommodation, 
and  they  had  beds  and  bureaus  and  chairs  of 
their  own,  as  well  as  wardrobes,  and  as  all 
the  dolls  had  to  be  dressed  in  the  morning,  and 
undressed  and  nightgowned  at  night,  they  re- 
quired much  of  the  children's  time. 

"Dey's  djust  like  little  dirls,"  said  the 
Tiger  one  morning,  when  I  asked  if  her  chil- 
dren   did    not   sometimes  become  tiresome. 

Hum  of  'em's  as  dood  as  pie,  an'  hum  uvvers 
is  as  bad  as — oh,  as  bad  as  med'cine,  an'  a  lot 
of  'em's  so  diff'rent  dat  you  tan't  tell  what 

138 


A  Day  of  Mythology 


dey's  doein'  to  do  next.  You'd  fink  dis  one  " 
(here  she  held  up  a  porcelain-faced  doll) 
"  ought  to  be  de  doodest  of  de  whole  lot,  for 
hyee's  dot  weal  hair,  an'  hyee  tan  open  an' 
hyut  her  eyes,  an'  her  mouf's  dot  an  inside  to 
it,  djust  like  peoples.  But  hyee's  djust  a 
pwoud,  'tuck-up  fing ;  hyee  won't  bend  her- 
self, hoe's  to  hit  in  a  chair.  We  dave  her  milk 
from  a  'poon  one  day,  'tause  her  mouf  looked 
as  if  humfin'  ought  to  be  put  in  it,  an'  two  or 
free  days  after  dat,  when  I  asked  papa  to  tiss 
her  dood-night,  he  hed  he  dessed  hyee  hadn't 
used  her  toof-bwush  lately.  Den  he  dave  her 
hum  med'cine — he  hed  it  was  a  dissyfectan', 
an'  after  dat,  mamma  had  to  div  her  hum 
tologne,  to  hide  de  dissyfectan',  but  nofifin' 
heemed  to  make  her  all  nice  again.  Papa  finks 
noffin'  will  fix  her  'cept  two  or  free  hours  in 
de  titchen  'tove.  Hyee's  an  awful  twouble- 
some  baby." 

**  If  I  were  you,"  said  I,  as  the  doll  was 
swung  to  and  fro  in  front  of  me  and  exhaled  a 
composite  odor — stale  milk,  carbolic  acid,  and 
cologne,  I  would  stop  making  believe  that 
such  a  doll  is  a  baby." 

'*  Would  you  ?  Well  I  dess  you  wouldn't, 
139 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


if  you  was  me.  'Tause  if  you  'top  makin' 
b'lieve  wiv  one  of  'em,  you  might  do  it  'bout 
all  of  'em,  an'  den  dere  wouldn't  be  any  more 
fun — don't  you  hee  ?  If  you's  doein'  to  have 
any  fun  makin'  b'lieve,  you  mus'  'tick  to  de 
makin'  b'lieve  ;  dat's  what  papa  hays.  Hurry 
up,  Incie  ;  is  your  children  all  dwessed  ?  If 
dey  is,  it's  time  to  tell  'em  'tories.  I  fink  it's 
'bout  time  for  a  miffology  'tory,  don't  you  ?  " 

"All  wight.  You  tell  it  to  'em,  an'  I'll 
make  b'lieve  I's  a  dollie  too." 

What  on  earth  do  you  children  know 
of  mythology  ?  "  I  asked. 

Well,  we  know  all  papa  an'  mamma's  told 
us  out  of  de  bid  fat  book — you  know  de  bid 
fat  book,  don't  you  ?  " 

I  must  confess  that  I  don't — not  if  that  is 
the  name  of  it." 

Both  children  looked  at  me  so  pityingly  that 
I  felt  myself  quite  uncomfortable  and  blush- 
ing for  shame  as  the  Tiger  dragged  from  the 
bookcase  a  dictionary  of  mythology.  But  I 
said : 

**  Let  me  be  a  dollie,  too,  so  I  can  listen." 
*^  All  wight.    Once  dere  was  an  ol'  djentle- 
man  named  Philemon  an'  he  had  a  wife,  an*  her 

140 


A  Day  of  Mythology 


name  was  Bosses — but  not  de  tynd  of  bosses 
dere  is  now.  An'  dey  was  awful  poor,  an'  dey 
lived  in  a  house  wiv  only  one  room  in  it,  an* 
it  was  way  out  on  de  edge  of  de  town.  An' 
one  day  two  dods — de  tynd  dat  peoples  used 
to  b'lieve  in  'fore  dey  had  any  of  de  wight 
tynd  of  pweachers — two  dods  tame  down  from 
de  heaven  dey  lived  in.  An'  dey  dot  tired  an' 
hungry,  'tause  dey  wasn't  used  to  walkin' — 
hoe  dey  walked  into  de  town  an'  asked  de 
people  for  humfin'  to  eat.  An'  hum  of  de 
people  fought  dey  was  fieves,  an'  uvver  people 
fought  dey  was  twamps,  an'  a  lot  of  de  people 
was  mean  anyhow,  so  de  poor  dods  wish  dey'd 
'tayed  home,  where  dey  had  nectar  an'  am- 
bwosie  an'  all  tynds  of  nice  fings  bwought  to 
'em  whenever  dey  felt  empty. 

**  Hoe  de  dods  took  to  de  woods,  to  teep 
from  being  took  up  by  de  p'leece,  an'  all  of  a 
hudden  dey  heen  de  little  house  where  Phile- 
mon an'  Bosses  lived,  an'  no  dogs  tame  out  to 
bark  at  'em,  hoe  dey  asked  if  dere  wasn't  hum 
told  vittles  to  div  away.  An'  Philemon  an' 
Bosses  was  hoe  poor  dat  dey  hadn't  only  'nulT 
for  one  meal  fordemselves  an'  dey  didn't  know 
where  any  more  was  to  tum  from  ;  papa  hays 

141 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


he  desses  Philemon  was  out  of  a  djob,  an*  Mrs. 
Bosses  touldn't  det  any  washin'  or  scrubbin'  to 
do,  an'  dere  wasn't  any  'Nited  Charities  to  doe 
to.  But  dey  was  dood  people  all-a-hame,  hoe 
dey  told  de  dods  dat  dey  didn't  have  much, 
but  dey'd  doe  halves  wiv  'em.  Hoe  dey 
bwought  out  ev'ryfin'  in  de  house — hum  bwead, 
an'  milk,  an'  gwapes,  an'  dey  all  began  to  eat, 
an'  de  more  dey  ate  de  more  dere  was  on  de 
table  to  eat,  an'  de  milk-pitcher  never  dot 
empty,  like  ours  does — 'twas  djust  like  de 
loaves  an'  fishes  in  de  Bible  'tory.  An'  den 
de  dods  went  away,  an'  always  after  dat 
Philemon  an'  Bosses  had  plenty  to  eat  in  de 
house  wivout  buyin'  it.  Dey  toodn't  buy  any- 
fin'  if  dey  wanted  to,  'tause  next  time  dey  went 
to  de  town  dere  wasn't  no  town  at  all — nuffin' 
but  a  lake,  an'  all  de  people  was  turned  to 
fishes — doe  I  don't  fink  dat  was  much  punish- 
ment for  'em,  for  fishes  tan  play  any  way 
dey  like  wivout  havin'  to  be  'fraid  dey'll  det 
deir  tloses  dirty.  Anyhow,  dat's  de  way  it 
was." 

De  bigges'  doll  would  like  anuvver 
miffology  'tory,"  said  I,  quite  unconscious  of 
how  I  was  saying  it,  but  the  Insect  shouted, 

\ 


A  Day  of  Mythology 


**  Hooway  !  "  and  kissed  me  and  the  Tiger  ex- 
claimed : 

"  Dat  hounded  djust  like  mamma  !  Oh, 
ain't  you  dee ! "  Then  she  and  her  sister 
chuckled,  and  tickled  each  other,  which  was 
their  customary  manner  of  expressing  extreme 
hilarity.  When  I  reminded  them  that  the 
biggest  doll  was  an  impatient  creature  and 
ought  to  be  humored  there  was  another  out- 
burst, but  soon  the  Tiger  said  : 

Well,  I  dess  I'll  tell  you  'bout  Midas.  He 
was  a  ting — dat's  humfin'  like  Pres'dent  of  de 
'Nited  'Tates,  doe  papa  hays  Midas  was  more 
like  a  pres'dent  of  a  twust  tumpany,  whatever 
dat  is.  An'  he  didn't  tare  for  nuffin'  but  to 
det  money — dold  money,  an'  he  dot  lots  of  it, 
an*  de  more  he  dot  de  more  he  wanted.  One 
day  he  hed  he  wished  ev'ryfing  he  touched 
would  turn  to  dold.  An'  up  popped  a  fairy 
an'  hed,  *  Do  you  weally  wish  dat,  hones'  an' 
twuly  ? '  An'  Midas  hed,  *  You  bet  1 '  Hoe  de 
fairy  hed,  *  Doe  on  a-touchin'.* 

Hoe  Midas  touched  de  table,  an*  wight 
away  it  turned  to  dold,  an'  hoe  did  de  table- 
cloff  ;  an'  de  dishes  an'  knives  an'  forks  an' 
'poons  would  have  done  it  too  if  dey  hadn't 

143 

I 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


been  dold  already.  He  went  wound  de  woom 
touchin'  fings — de  chairs  an'  books  an'  mag'- 
zines  an'  paper-tutters  an'  visitin'-tards  an' 
lamps,  an'  ev'ryfing  turned  to  dold,  an'  Nowah 
hays  hyee's  dlad  hyee  didn't  have  to  do  de 
work  in  dat  house,  'tause  'twould  take  lots  of 
wubbin'  to  keep  hoe  many  dold  fings  bwight. 

"  When  Midas  dot  in  his  darden  he  went  to 
his  fav'rite  wose-bush  to  take  a  dood  long 
hmell,  but  de  minute  his  nose  touched  de  wose 
it  turned  it  to  dold,  an'  it  wasn't  hmelly  no 
more.  Hoe  Midas  finked  dere  was  humtimes 
too  much  of  a  dood  fing,  like  I  found  out  on 
my  birfday,  when  I  ate  up  a  whole  box  of 
tandy  an'  touldn't  eat  noffin'  but  med'cine  next 
day.  'Bout  dat  time  Midas  dot  hungry,  hoe 
he  went  into  de  dinin'-room  an'  wang  de 
titchen  bell  an'  tol'  de  dirl  to  bring  him  hum- 
fin'  to  eat.  But  de  oatmeal,  an'  meat,  an'  po- 
tatoes an'  puddin'  turned  to  dold  as  hoon  as  he 
touched  'em,  an'  dey  hurted  his  toofs  like  as  if 
he'd  bited  a  bone.  Hoe  he  took  a  dwink  of 
wine — but  he  didn't,  'tause  de  wine  turned  to 
dold  as  hoon  as  his  mouf  touched  it.  Den  he 
hed  '  Doodness  dracious '  or  '  Ton — found  it ! ' 
or  humfin',"  i 

144  i 


A  Day  of  Mythology 


I  hood  fink  he  would,"  said  the  Insect. 
"If  my  dinner  was  to  do  dat  way,  I'd  kwy,  an* 
ask  mamma  to  make  *em  'top  doin'  it." 

*'  Well,"  continued  the  Tiger,  dat  wasn't 
de  worst  dat  happened.  He  had  a  little  dirl, 
an'  he  loved  her  lots,  an'  he  haw  her  tummin* 
into  de  dinin'-woom — I  'pose  she  was  late,  like 

I  little  dirls  usually  is.  An'  wight  away  he  for- 
dot  about  his  hungry,  an'  his  dold,  an'  didn't 
fink  of  anyfing  but  divvin'  his  little  dirl  a  tiss  ; 
besides,  hyee  was  unhappy,  an'  kwyin',  'tause 
hyee'd  been  into  de  darden  to  det  hum  woses, 

I  an'  found  'em  all  turned  to  dold.  But  hyee 
hmiled  when  hyee  haw  her  papa,  an'  wan  up  to 
him,  but — what  do  you  fink  ?  Why,  as  hoon 
as  he  tissed  her,  hyee  all  turned  to  dold  too. 
Why,  de  tears  on  her  cheeks  'topped  bein' 
water  an'  turned  to  dold,  an  hoe  did  her  hmile, 
doe  how  a  hmile  tood  turn  to  dold  is  humfin'  I 
tan't  unnertan'.  I's  twied  lots  to  det  a  pit- 
tcher  of  it  in  my  eyes,  but  I  tan't. 

**  'Bout  dat  time  Midas  changed  his  mind  an' 
he  made  an  awful  fuss  'bout  it.  An'  de  fairy 
tame  back  again,  an*  Midas  tailed  himself  all 
tynds  of  bad  names,  till  de  fairy  dot  horry  for 
him,  an'  told  him  to  doe  to  a  bwook  in  de 

M5 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


darden,  an'  det  hum  of  de  water,  an'  whatever 
he'd  spwinkle  wiv  it  would  doe  back  an'  be  de 
way  it  was.  Hoe  he  twotted  down  to  de 
bwook  an'  dot  hum  of  de  water,  an'  frew  hum 
on  his  Httle  dirl,  an'  hyee  'topped  bein'  dold, 
an'  de  hmile  undolded  itself,  an'  de  dold  kwy 
on  her  face  dot  to  be  water  again,  an'  he  tissed 
it  away  an'  he  hugged  her  lots,  an*  he  was 
hensible  after  dat." 

An'  den,"  added  the  Insect,  "he 'plashed 
hum  of  de  water  on  de  fings  on  de  table,  an' 
dey  all  dot  dood  to  eat  aden,  an'  Midas  an' 
de  little  dirl  djust  pigged  'em,  'tause  dey'd 
had  to  wait  hoe  long  dat  dey  was  awful  hun- 
gry. An'  it  makes  me  awful  hungry  to  fink 
'bout  'em,  hoe  I  wish  it  would  be  lunchtime 
awful  twick." 


146 


CHAPTER  XIII 


Sunday 

There  came  a  morning  when  my  last  doze 
was  not  disturbed  by  New  York's  chorus  of 
seven-o'clock  whistles,  nor  ended  by  Norah 
with  the  familiar  remark,  Letters  for  you, 
Miss."  The  first  sounds  I  heard  were  musical  ; 
a  high,  light  soprano  and  a  deep,  strong  con- 
tralto were  singing  : 

"I  fink  when  I  wead  dat  hweet  'tory  of  old, 
When  Djesus  was  here  among  men  ; 
How  He  tailed  little  children  like  lambs  to  His  fold ; 
I  hood  like  to  have  been  wiv  Him  den." 

md  other  songs  which  reminded  me  that  Sun- 
day had  come.  After  each  song  I  heard  foot- 
falls in  the  hallway  and  whisperings  outside 
my  door,  but  I  did  not  respond,  for  the  songs 
took  me  back  to  the  days  when  Kate  and  I 
were  children,  and  sang  the  very  same  lines. 
But  when  they  sang : 

"  Djesus  loves  me — dat  I  know 
For  de  Bible  tells  me  hoe. 
He  will  take  away  my  hin — 
Let  His  little  child  turn  in  " 

147 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

I  sprang  from  my  bed  and  hurried  to  the 
nursery.  Take  away  their  sin,"  indeed  !  I 
was  as  orthodox  as  any  one  who  had  always 
^one  to  church  and  beHeved  all  that  was  said 
there,  but  that  Kate's  innocents — my  own  dear 
little  angels — had  any  "  sin  "  seemed  too  ridic- 
ulous to  be  endurable. 

**  Hooray  ! "  shouted  the  Tiger,  as  I  appeared 
in  the  doorway.  "  We's  been  waitin'  for  you 
as  dood  as  we  tood,  but  'twas  awful  hard,  doe 
we  had  twackers  to  help  us.  Papa  an'  mamma 
always  lets  us  help  ourselves  at  de  twacker- 
box  Hunday  mornin's,  hoe  we  won't  det  too 
hungry  'fore  Nowah  dets  back  from  church  an' 
makes  bweakfas'  weddy.  An'  papa  always 
tells  us  a  Hunday  'tory  'fore  we  dets  up,  hoe  we 
want  you  to  play  papa  for  us,  like  you's  been 
playin'  mamma.  We's  wanted  you  to  play 
papa  lots  of  times  before,  but  we  didn't  fink 
'twould  be  tynd  to  make  you  make  b'lieve  you 
was  two  people  at  a  time,  'tause  it  takes  all 
papa  an'  mamma  togevver  tan  do  to  teep  us 
doein'." 

**  Tell  us  nice  Hunday  'tory — twick!"  said 
the  Insect,  climbing  out  of  her  crib  and  into 
my  lap,  where  she  was  joined  by  the  Tiger, 
who  said : 

148 


Sunday 


Now  we's  weddy.  Doe  on." 
The  children  looked  so  angelic,  with  their 
pure,  sweet  faces  and  white  raiment,  that  I 
bethought  me  at  once  of  a  story  which  had 
comforted  me  greatly  in  the  days  when  I  was 
sometimes  called  a  bad  little  girl,  so  I  began  : 

Once  when  Jesus  was  talking  to  the  people, 
some  mothers  brought  their  little  children  to 
Him,  and  asked  Him  to  put  His  hands  on 
them  and  pray  for  some  good  to  come  to 
them.  This  was  the  custom  in  that  country 
and  among  the  Jews  ;  people  always  wanted 
to  be  prayed  for  and  blessed  by  very  good 
men,  and  the  mothers  of  these  little  children 
believed  that  Jesus  was  a  teacher  sent  from 
God.  But  some  of  the  disciples  of  Jesus — His 
friends  and  helpers,  who  went  about  with  Him, 
scolded  the  mothers  and  told  them  not  to 
trouble  Jesus.  I  suppose  they  thought  grown 
people,  some  of  whom  were  very  bad,  needed 
prayers  and  blessings  more  than  little  chil- 
dren." 

"  I  dess  dem  fwends  of  Djesus  didn't  have 
no  little  dirls  of  deir  own,"  said  the  Tiger, 
"else  dey  wouldn't  have  twied  to  make  de 
mammas  'top." 

149 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


**  Perhaps  you  are  right,  dear.  But  Jesus 
told  them  to  let  the  little  children  come  to 
Him,  and  not  to  keep  them  away  from  Him, 
for  of  such  was  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  I 
suppose  He  meant  that  all  the  angels  were 
innocent  and  loving,  like  good  little  children. 
So  He  placed  His  hands  on  their  heads  and 
blessed  them,  and  made  their  mammas  very 
happy." 

Heaven  ain't  much  like  New  York  'part- 
ment  houses.  Auntie  Nell,  is  it  ?" 

*'  I  hope,  dear,  that  'tis  like  this  part  of  this 
house  at  this  very  minute.  But  why  do  you 
ask?" 

"  'Tause.    Dere's  lots  of  'partment  houses 

dat  won't  let  little  children  live  in  'em  at  all. 

Dare  was  one  'partment  dat  papa  an'  mamma 

wanted  ever  hoe  much,  but  de  djan'tor  asked 

*em  if  dey  had  any  children,  an'  dey  told  him 

dey  had,  an'  he  hed  he  toodn't  hire  de  'partment 

to  *em.    An'  mamma  tame  home  an'  dwessed 

Incie  an'  me  in  our  Hunday  tloses  an'  took 

us  to  dat  house  an'  hyow'd  us  to  de  djan'tor, 

an'  told  him  dat  he  tood  hee  dat  we  wasn't 

like  uvver  folks'  children.    An'  de  djan'tor 

laugbed,  an'  made  de  funniest,  meanest  face — 

150 


Sunday- 
well,  I  wish  you  tood  have  heen  it  ;  I 
won't  fordet  it  as  long  as  I  live.  An'  mam- 
ma kwyed  all  de  way  home,  an'  I  djust 
made  a  paper-doll  of  dat  djan'tor,  an'  Incie 
an'  me  'tuck  pins  in  him  all  day  long — 
de  mean  ol'  fing !  An'  when  mamma  told 
papa  'bout  it  he  tailed  her  a  hilly  dirl,  an'  den 
he  hed  he'd  like  to  div  dat  djan'tor  a  blessin', 
but  he  didn't  look  as  if  he  meant  it.  I  don't 
b'lieve  dat  djan'tor'll  doe  to  heaven  ;  do 
you  ? 

**  I  hope  so,  dear,  if  only  to  learn  what  a 
mistake  he  made." 

But  he  tan't  be  a  djan'tor  up  dere,  tan  he  ? 
'Tause  I  asked  papa  once  if  dere  was  'partment 
houses  in  heaven,  an'  he  hed,  *  No,  an'  if 
dere's  any  in  de  uvver  place  I'm  horry  for  de 
wicked.  But  de  builders  of  hum  of  'em'll  be 
dere,  I  fink.  An'  I  wish  Nowah  would  tum 
home  from  church,  'tause  twackers  ain't  awful 
fillin'." 

After  breakfast  the  children  led  me  to  the 
parlor  and  together  climbed  into  a  large  chair  ; 
the  Tiger  placed  an  arm  around  the  Insect, 
and  the  Insect  clasped  one  of  the  Tiger's 
hands,  and  said  : 

151 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

**  Now  we's  weddy  for  Hunday  'cool.** 
You  don't  look  it,"  I  replied.    **  At  what 
time  does  your  Sunday  school  begin,  and 
where  ?  '* 

*'  Why,  wite  now,  an*  wite  here.  Papa  or 
mamma  always  is  teacher,  but  I  dess  you'll 
have  to  be  it  dis  time.  An*  we  always  tells 
what  de  lesson's  to  be  'bout.  An*  dis  time  we 
wants  it  to  be  'bout  de  pigs  dat  dot  dwounded." 

"  The  pigs  that  were  drowned  ?  " 

**  Yes.  Don't  you  know  ?  I'll  fin*  de  place 
in  de  Bible  for  you." 

She  got  out  of  the  chair,  stood  on  a  stool, 
turned  the  leaves  of  a  large  pictorial  Bible 
which  lay  on  the  table,  and  soon  exclaimed : 

**Dere  !'* 

I  looked,  and  saw  a  picture  illustrating  St. 
Mark's  story  of  the  destruction  of  the  herd  of 
swine  into  which  evil  spirits  had  entered. 

How  do  your  parents  teach  you  ?  Do  they 
read  the  lesson,  and  then  ask  you  questions 
about  it  ?  '* 

"  N — o — o  !  **   said   the  Tiger  scornfully. 
**  Dat's  de  way  dey  does  in  tommon  Hunday 
*cools,  but  ours  is  de  dood  tynd.    Dey  weads 
us  de  *tory,  but  we  does  all  de  twestion-askin' 
152 


Sunday 


our  own  helves.  Else  how  is  we  doein*  to 
learn  what  we  don't  know  ?  " 

I  was  quite  willing  to  follow  the  method 
suggested,  for  the  requested  lesson  was  one 
that  had  puzzled  me  greatly  in  my  own  Sunday 
school  days.  I  had  read  only  a  few  verses 
when  the  Tiger  asked  : 

"  What  is  an  unclean  'pirit,  anyway  ?  " 

*'  I  don't  know,  dear  ;  at  least,  not  " 

I  didn't  'pose  you  did,"  sighed  the  Tiger, 
*'  'tause  papa  don't  know  eiver,  an'  of  tourse 
you  tan't  be  hmarter  dan  him.  Mamma  finks 
mebbe  de  poor  man  was  mad,  'tause  mad 
peoples  is  humtimes  awful  'trong.  When  I 
dets  mad  I  feels  as  if  I  tood  knock  de  house 
down.  But  how  did  de  unclean  'pirit,  what- 
ever it  was,  det  into  de  man  ?** 

**  I  don't  know,  dear,"  I  replied,  wishing  at 
the  same  time  that  I  had  suggested  a  different 
lesson. 

**  Well,  I  dess  he  dot  dere  de  hame  way  dat 
our  own  'pirits  did,  an'  nobody  knows  how  dat 
was.  Mamma  hays  it's  nobody's  business, 
eiver.    Doe  on." 

I  read  on  until  interrupted  by  : 

**  What  do  you  fink  de  bad  'pirits  wanted  to 
'tay  in  dat  part  of  de  tountry  for  ?  " 

153 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

I'm  sure  I  don't  know." 

**Well,  I  'pected  you  didn't,  'tause  papa 
don't  eiver,  'less  'twas  'tause  dere  was  lots  o' 
mans  dere  dat  wanted  'em,  'tause  hum  mans 
likes  de  tynd  o'  'trong  dat  bad  'pirits'll  div  'em 
— de  tynd  dat  makes  'em  do  awful  fings  dat 
dood  mans  tan't,  an'  wouldn't  if  dey  tood — 
fings  like  Tammany  mans  does.    Doe  on." 

Soon  again  I  was  interrupted  with : 

*'  Do  you  know  what  made  de  devils  want 
to  doe  into  de  pigs  ? " 

Again  I  confessed  my  ignorance,  and  de- 
termined to  search  the  house  for  a  commentary 
before  reading  any  more  Bible  stories  aloud. 

Well,  papa  finks  it  was  'tause  pigs  was  de 
vilest  fings  in  sight,  an'  he  finks  de  pigs 
djumped  into  de  ocean  so's  to  wash  de  devils 
out  of  'em.  He  hays  a  fo rough  baff  is  a  dreat 
fing  to  take  de  devil  out  of  peoples,  even  if  it 
tills  'em,  like  it  did  de  pigs.  Now  you  fink  of 
a  dood  Hunday  hong  for  us,  while  we  fink  of 
anuvver  lesson." 

But,  Tiggie,  you  seem  to  have  already  had 
this  one  about  the  devils  and  the  swine,  and 
knew  more  about  it  than  I  could  tell  you,  so 
why  did  you  ask  for  it  ?  " 

IS4 


Sunday 


"  'Tause  pigs  is  pork,  an'  pork  disagwees 
wiv  us,  an'  mamma  hays  it  must  have  been  a 
dood  deal  worse  for  little  dirls  dat  lived  in  de 
hot  tuntry  where  dem  devil-pigs  was.  Hoe  we 
likes  to  hear,  over  an'  over,  'bout  dem  pigs  be- 
in'  dwownded,  'tause  den  dey  toodn't  disagwee 
wiv  nobody  no  more.  An'  I  hope  dey  disa- 
gweed  wiv  dem  devils  dat  dot  into  'em,  an*  dat 
dey  divved  'em  awful  tummuk-aches,  to  pay 
*em  for  bovverin'  dat  poor  man.  Now  what's 
you  doin'  to  hing  ?  " 

I  went  to  the  piano  and  recalled  some  of  the 
hymns  on  which  Kate  and  I  had  been  "  brought 
up,"  and  the  children  sang  them  as  readily  as 
if  they  too  had  been  brought  up  on  them,  as  I 
doubted  not  they  had.  When  my  memory 
had  emptied  itself  of  **  Hunday  hongs  "  I  said, 
in  self-defence  : 

Suppose,  now,  that  I  be  the  scholar  and 
you  the  teachers,  and  you  give  me  some  les- 
sons ?  For  I've  not  had  a  Sunday-school  lesson 
in  years." 

"  Hooray  !  Do  you  hear  dat,  Incie  dear? 
Let's  !    What  lesson  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  Oh,  any  one  that  my  teachers  think  best 
for  me." 

155 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


"We — 11,"  drawled  the  Tiger,  after  rubbing 
her  forehead,  and  peering  through  half-closed 
eyes  into  vacancy,  I  'pose  you  ought  to  have 
a  young  lady  'tory.  Dere  s  one  dat  papa  hays 
mamma  needs  humtimes,  an'  all  uvver  young 
women  too,  an'  hyee  tells  him  to  '  doe  'long,' 
an'  dey  has  lots  of  make-b'lieve  fights  'bout  it, 
'pecially  when  mamma's  doein'  to  have  tump'ny 
an'  is  dettin'  weddy  for  it.    Dis  is  how  it  was  : 

'*  Once  Djesus  dwopped  in  at  de  home  of  a 
fwiend  of  His  named  Laz'rus.  An'  Laz'rus  had 
two  young  lady  histers.  An'  one  of  'em, 
named  Marfa,  began  to  get  up  an  extra  nice 
dinner,  an'  take  down  de  bes'  dishes,  an'  wub 
up  de  hilver  'poons,  an'  do  ev'ryfing  as  if  'twas 
a  drate  tump'ny  affair,  doe  hyee  knew  Djesus 
didn't  'pect  noffin'  of  de  tynd,  'tause  he  was  an 
ol'  fwiend  of  de  fam'ly.  He  was  de  bes'  bein' 
on  de  earf,  anyhow,  hoe  He  didn't  want  any- 
body to  take  any  extra  twouble  for  H  im.  Why, 
do  you  know  what  His  Hunday  dinner  once 
was  ?  'Twas  nuffin'  but  wheat,  wubbed  out 
of  its  stalks,  an'  not  tooked  at  all.  It's  dood, 
too,  'tause  I's  twied  it  humtimes,  when  we  was 
in  de  tuntry. 

"  Anyhow,   Marfa  went  on  workin',  an'  de 

156 


Sunday 


uvver  young  lady — her  name  was  Mawy — hyee 
'tayed  in  de  parlor  an'  talked  to  Djesus,  an* 
listened  to  Him  a  talkin'.  An'  pwetty  hoon 
Marfa  dot  twoss — mebbe  de  titchen-help  was 
twoss,  like  dey  djen'rally  is  when  tump'ny 
turns,  or  mebbe  de  fam'ly  was  doin'  its  own 
work.  Anyhow,  Marfa  tame  in  de  parlor  an* 
asked  Djesus  to  tell  Mawy  to  tum  out  an'  do 
hum  o'  de  work.  An'  'twasn't  very  nice  of  her 
to  do  it  dat  way,  an'  det  de  tump'ny  mixed  up 
in  de  twarrell ;  hyee  might  have  made  an  excuse 
to  det  Mawy  out  in  de  hall,  an'  asked  her  to 
'top  playin'  lady  long  'nuff  to  het  de  table  or 
humfin'. 

But  Djesus  didn't  make  Mawy  doe.  He 
hed  dat  Marfa  had  too  many  fings  on  her 
mind — hyee  was  makin'  too  much  fuss  over  de 
dinner,  an'  dat  Mawy  had  done  de  hensible 
fing.  'Tause  you  hee,  ol'  fwiends  would  wav- 
ver  have  a  fuss  made  over  'em  wiv  de  heart, 
an'  not  wiv  de  hands.  An'  papa  don't  like 
mamma  to  det  wore  out  dettin'  up  lunches 
an'  dinners  for  her  fwiends  till  hyee  tan't  div 
'em  de  best  of  herself,  or  enjoy  what's  best 
'bout  dem.  Now  it's  your  turn,  Incie  ;  what 
lesson's  you  doein'  to  div  Auntie  Nell  ? " 

157 


1 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

"  I  dunno." 
Better  fink  of  a  young  lady  one.  Oh,  I'll 
tell  you, — how  'bout  de  girl  dat  died  an'  was 
made  alive  again  ?  "  j 
All  wight,"  the  Insect  replied.  One 
time  a  man  turn  to  Djesus  an'  wanted  Him  to 
doctor  his  little  dirl,  'tause  hyee  was  awful  hick. 
An'  when  Djesus  tame  to  de  house  de  little 
dirl  was  dead.  But  He  made  her  alive  aden, 
an'  den  what  do  you  fink  He  done? — He  tol' 
em  to  div  her  humfin'  to  eat,  doe  it  was  'tween 
meals.  I  dess  mebbe  dat  was  why  hyee  died, 
'tause  humtimes  I  det  hoe  hungry  'tween 
meals  dat  it  heems  to  me  dat  I'll  die.  An'  I 
wiss  it  was  dinner-time  now,  'tause  we  tan  eat 
de  hame  fings  as  big  folks  at  Hunday  dinner, 
'tause  it's  in  de  middle  of  de  day,  an'  de  din- 
ner'll  d'jest  hours  an'  hours  'fore  we  doe  to 
bed,  hoe  we  don't  hee  awful  fings  when  we's 
ahleep." 

But  dinner-time  was  still  an  hour  or  two 
distant,  so  I  told  many  Bible  stories  and  was 
obliged  to  answer  so  many  puzzling  questions 
that  I  thought  my  nieces  the  most  intellectual 
prodigies  alive.  Yet  there  came  a  moment 
when  the  questions  ended,  after  which  the 

158 


Sunday 


children  said  nothing  but  what  was  silly,  and  I 
began  to  lose  my  patience,  and  exclaimed  : 

Why  don't  you  be  sensible,  as  you  were  a 
little  while  ago  ?  " 

I  dess  it's  'tause  our  bwains  is  wun  down," 
said  the  Tiger. 

**  An'  when  people's  bwains  wun  down," 
added  the  Insect,  with  dancing  eyes,  while  she 
tossed  her  hands  in  air  and  jumped  up  and 
down,  **it's  time  to  wind  up  our  arms  an'  legs. 
Turn  on,  Tiggie  !    Let's  waise  a  wumpus." 

They  certainly  did  it.  They  raced  through 
the  hall  and  rooms  like  a  lot  of  scared  ponies, 
they  played  horse  and  cow  and  sheep  and  bear 
and  dog  and  cat  and  monkey  until  their  spirit 
became  contagious  and  I  joined  in  their  frolic 
and  was  quite  as  hare-brained  as  they.  I 
tossed  them  about  and  rolled  them  on  the  beds 
and  I  said  silly  things  which  were  laughed  at  as 
if  they  had  been  brilliant  jokes,  and  I  giggled 
at  the  children's  inanities  till  we  all  sank  ex- 
hausted on  the  parlor  rug,  where  we  lay  as 
placid  as  a  lot  of  jelly-fish,  till  the  dinner-bell 
roused  us  and  I  found  myself  possessor  again 
'  of  an  appetite  which  I  had  begun  to  think  I 
had  forgotten  to  bring  East  with  me. 

159 


CHAPTER  XIV 


Amateur  Surgery 

Monday  morning  brought  me  so  many  let- 
ters from  Kate  that  I  had  not  read  them  all 
when  Mrs.  Lyle  and  her  brother  came  to  take 
me  wheeling  on  one  of  their  favorite  routes  ; 
I  had  passed  the  mere  beginner's  probation, 
they  said,  and  they  longed  to  have  me  see 
parts  of  the  city  which  men  had  not  yet  un- 
made. I  did  not  fear  to  leave  my  nieces  for 
an  hour  or  two,  for  Kate  had  assured  me  that 
Norah  was  a  jewel  and  loved  the  children  as 
dearly  as  if  they  were  her  own  small  sisters,  of 
whom  she  had  several.  Besides,  I  gave  my 
little  darlings  a  lot  of  cautions,  and  they 
listened  as  carefully  as  if  their  dear  little  lives 
depended  upon  what  I  said  to  them,  and  the 
Tiger  almost  choked  me  with  her  adorable 
little  arms  as  she  said : 

"We'll  be  as  dood  as  pie  an'  peanuts  an' 
taramels  an'  headcheese.  We'll  make  b'lieve 
dat  you's  mamma,  doein'  out  to  make  tails,  an 

i6o 


Amateur  Surgery 


us  a-wantin'  her  to  have  a  weal  dood  time  an* 
not  be  worried  'bout  us  a  bit."  And  the 
Insect  said  : 

*'  I's  doein'  to  be  an  angel,  like  I  was  'fore 
I  tame  down  fwom  Heaven.  I  'members  all 
'bout  it." 

**  Hyee  djeamed  it,"  whispered  the  Tiger, 
while  I  covered  the  Insect's  face  with  kisses 
and  irreverently  wondered  whether  any  real 
angel — any  baby  angel,  could  have  been 
sweeter. 

And  what  a  ride  we  had  !  After  a  mile  or 
two  of  avenues  and  cross-streets  we  swept 
around  a  curve  and  looked  down  on  the  river, 
which  was  a  hundred  or  more  feet  beneath  us 
yet  so  near  the  base  of  the  cliff  as  to  threaten 
a  soaking  to  whoever  might  fall  from  the  side 
of  the  road.  At  the  right  was  a  steep  hill 
covered  with  rocks  and  trees — not  city  shade- 
trees,  but  fine  old  forest  growth. 

The  road  was  as  smooth  as  a  floor,  and, 
better  still,  we  had  it  all  to  ourselves ;  New 
Yorkers  who  own  horses  and  carriages  seem 
not  to  know  of  the  joys  of  a  morning  ride. 
The  grades  of  the  road  were  easy,  even  for  a 
beginner  at  wheeling,  and  each  one  led  us  up 

l6i 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


to  greater  altitude  and  fresher  air  and  larger 
trees,  and  the  farther  we  rode  the  higher  and 
bolder  and  more  picturesque  were  the  Pali- 
sades on  the  other  side,  while  the  river  itself, 
more  than  a  mile  wide,  was  visible  for  eight  or 
ten  miles  of  its  length,  where  a  bend  seemed 
to  end  it  and  transform  it  into  a  beautiful  lake 
with  shores  dotted  with  cities  and  villages — a 
lake  resembling  some  I  had  seen  pictured  in 
books,  and  which  I  longed  to  visit.  I  could 
not  imagine  why  all  New  York  people  of  lei- 
sure did  not  crowd  the  road  and  hillsides  with 
excursion  parties,  and  I  said  so,  but  Mr.  Stry- 
ver  explained  : 

People  with  leisure  and  money  don't  appre- 
ciate it,  and  the  people  who  like  it  haven't  the 
time  and  money." 

My  companions  showed  me  some  old  revo- 
lutionary forts  and  battle-grounds,  and  got  me 
so  excited  that  I  expressed  a  wish  that  we 
might  ride  all  day,  for  I  was  sure  I  would 
never  grow  tired  in  such  air  and  amid  such 
scenes. 

If  you  wouldn't  mind  a  little  walking  over 
some  bad  quarter  miles  of  road,"  said  Mr. 
Stryver,  "  I  think  you'd  enjoy  a  visit  to  the 

162 


Amateur  Surgery 


Manor  House  in  Van  Cortlandt  Park.  Do 
you  think,  sister,  the  exertion  would  be  too 
great  for  Miss  Trewsome  ?  " 

"  Exertion  ! "  said  I  scornfully.  I've 
tramped  half  a  day  in  the  mountains  with  my 
father,  and  carried  a  ten-pound  rifle,  which  is 
harder  than  pushing  a  wheel." 

The  young  man  looked  at  me  wonderingly, 
and  Mrs.  Lyle  exclaimed: 

"  Indeed  she  shall  go  to  Van  Cortlandt ! 
*Tis  a  grand  old  estate  of  several  hundred 
acres,  my  dear,  that's  been  turned  into  a  park, 
and  the  Manor  House  is  now  a  museum  of 
Colonial  and  Revolutionary  relics — furniture, 
and  weapons,  and  dresses,  and  books,  and 
goodness  only  knows  what  else." 

So  we  went  to  Van  Cortlandt,  and  I,  who 
had  never  seen  American  relics  of  any  kind, 
was  as  delighted  as  a  child  in  a  toy-shop,  and 
Mr.  Stryver,  who  was  very  patriotic,  explained 
such  of  the  contents  as  were  of  historic  interest, 
and  Mrs.  Lyle  explained  the  others,  and  I  felt 
that  the  red-letter  day  of  my  life  had  come  at 
last.  It  was  hard  to  start  for  home,  but  soon 
we  were  again  on  the  beautiful  road  overlook- 
ing the  river  and  having  the  road  and  the  view 

1^3 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


all  to  ourselves,  when  we  heard  an  appalling 
rattle  and  many  toots  of  a  horn  from  behind  a 
curve. 

Get  to  the  right  of  the  road — quick  !  "  said 
Mr.  Stryver.  We  obeyed,  for  we  saw  ap- 
proaching us  an  automobile — not  one  of  the 
little  buzzing  things  that  sometimes  ran  up  and 
down  Riverside  Drive,  nor  even  one  of  the 
lumbering  electric  coaches  that  reminded  me 
of  grizzly  bears,  but  a  dreadful  thing  that 
looked  like  a  big  squatty  fire-engine,  and  in  it 
sat  two  men  dressed  like  scarecrows  and  with 
goggles  that  gave  their  faces  a  demoniac  ex- 
pression. 

As  the  monster  passed  us  I  heard  a  crash 
and  a  thud.  Mrs.  Lyle  and  I  dismounted  and, 
looking  around,  saw  Mr.  Stryver  pushing  his 
wheel  off  of  himself  and  getting  upon  his 
feet. 

Merely  a  spill,"  he  explained,  as  he  looked 
at  his  bicycle.  **  My  wheel  seems  to  have 
picked  up  a  bit  of  wire,  which  tangled  itself  in 
the  spokes  and  stopped  a  pedal  suddenly  and 
threw  me — and  against  the  curbstone,  too." 

He  started  to  disentangle  the  wire,  but  as 
he  brought  his  left  hand  forward  to  steady  the 

164 


Amateur  Surgery- 


wheel  he  uttered  something  unintelligible  and 
looked  strangely  at  his  sister,  who  exclaimed : 

"  Wayne  !    What  is  the  matter  ? " 
Nothing — of  any  consequence,  but  I've 
hurt  my  left  arm.    Won't  you  untwist  that 
malicious  wire  for  me,  Sis  ?  " 

But  Mrs.  Lyle  insisted  on  rubbing  the  injured 
arm,  and  her  brother  objected. 

**  You'll  never  let  me  do  anything  for  you  ! " 
said  Mrs.  Lyle.    "  You  self-sufficient  boy." 

"My  dear  sister,"  was  the  reply,  "I'd  be 
only  too  glad  if  you  could  do  what  my  arm  re- 
quires. But  you  can't,  for  to  tell  the  truth,  the 
arm  is  broken.  Don't  worry  about  it.  I  can 
easily  steer  the  wheel  home  with  my  right 
hand,  and  the  road  is  so  smooth  that  there  will 
be  no  jarring  that  will  hurt  me." 

"You  mustn't!"  I  said.  "Broken  arms  are 
quite  common  in  my  part  of  the  country,  and 
men  and  boys  say  that  they  twinge  cruelly  on 
slight  provocation  until  they  are  set.  I  think 
I  can  fix  it  so  it  won't  trouble  you  on  the  way 
back." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but — you  ?" 
"  Yes.     Why  not  ?     I've   seen    it  done. 
Have  you  a  pocket-knife  ?" 

165 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


His  right  hand  found  a  large  knife.  Mrs. 
Lyle  looked  as  if  she  feared  I  was  going  to  at-' 
tempt  amputation,  but  I  cut  nothing  more 
sensitive  than  a  sapling  near  the  road,  which  I 
divided  into  several  pieces  about  a  foot  long, 
each  of  which  I  split,  to  get  flat  pieces.  Then, 
thanks  to  a  sudden  inspiration,  I  got  from  the 
tool-bag  of  Kate's  wheel  several  thick  India- 
rubber  bands,  sprung  one  over  the  broken  arm 
till  it  almost  reached  the  shoulder,  and  another 
which  I  stopped  just  above  the  elbow.  Push- 
ing the  ends  of  several  of  my  improvised 
splints  under  the  lower  band,  and  drawing  the 
upper  band  over  the  other  ends,  I  asked  : 

Can  you  touch  the  part  where  the  break  is  ?  " 

The  young  man  turned  his  left  hand  cau- 
tiously until  his  lips  twitched  and  he  touched 
with  his  right  hand  the  point  of  fracture. 

Now,"  said  I,  if  Mrs.  Lyle  will  find  some 
of  the  many  handkerchiefs  which  her  brother 
carries  when  bicycling  " 

**  Instantly,  my  dear," — and  soon  I  had  tied 
several  handkerchiefs  tightly  over  the  splints, 
to  keep  them  in  place,  and  draped  the 
bandages  with  another  handkerchief.  When  I 
had  finished,  I  said  : 

i66 


Amateur  Surgery 


"  Now,  I  think  he'll  be  all  right,  but  he  ought 
to  see  a  physician  when  he  reaches  home." 

"My — dear!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Lyle,  I 
didn't  know  that  you  had  studied  surgery." 

That  wasn't  surgery,"  I  replied  ;  "  'twas 
merely  setting  a  broken  arm.  (I  did  not  tell 
her  that  it  was  my  first  genuine  case.)  My 
father  would  never  let  me  go  in  the  woods 
with  him  or  my  brother  till  I'd  learned  what 
to  do  in  case  of  accident,  so  I  had  to  play  at 
setting  broken  limbs,  with  my  little  brothers 
for  subjects." 

"  What  a  remarkable  country  ! "  exclaimed 
Mr.  Stryver. 

"  That's  the  way  to  speak  of  it — to  a  native," 
I  replied.       But  how  about  the  arm  ?" 

Again  Mr.  Stryver  turned  his  left  hand 
cautiously  and  replied  : 

As  good  as  ever — apparently.  There's  no 
sensation  of  pain,  and  I  suppose  I  shouldn't 
induce  one.  Now  if  you'll  allow  me  to  escort 
my  surgeon  home,  and  consult  one  who  will 

be  far  less  interesting  "  saying  which  the 

young  man  mounted  his  wheel,  steering  it 
with  one  hand,  while  Mrs.  Lyle  sprinkled  the 
air  with  exclamations  regarding  the  peculiar 

167 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


accomplishments  of  Western  women,  until  I 
was  obliged  to  tell  her  that  in  some  parts 
of  the  West  broken  arms  were  almost  as  com- 
mon as  sore  throats  in  the  East.  Never- 
theless praise  is  sweet,  and  all  of  it  I  carried 
home  with  me  had  no  opportunity  to  spoil  me, 
for  as  I  entered  the  apartment  Norah  greeted 
me  with  : 

"  Please,  miss,  I  wish  you'd  write  Mrs. 
Lintrey  that  she  can  get  somebody  else  to  do 
her  work,  for  I'm  goin'  to  leave  the  very  day 
she  comes  home." 

Norah  !    What  has  happened  ?  " 

**  What  hasn't  happened,  miss,  'twould  be 
easier  to  tell.  When  I'd  swept  the  parlor  I 
set  the  dustpan  down  a  minute  to  answer  the 
whistle  at  the  dumb-waiter,  an'  the  children 
emptied  it  out  the  front  window  an'  then 
dropped  the  pan  too,  an'  it  hit  a  woman  on  the 
head — the  bad-temperedest  woman  that  lives 
in  this  whole  flat-house,  an' — " 

**  Apartment-house,"  said  I,  kindly  but 
firmly,  for  Kate  had  been  quite  earnest  in  im- 
pressing me  with  the  differing  significance  of 
the  two  terms,  though  I  had  not  fully  compre- 
hended. 

l68 


TJiey  zcas  hookiii'  jam  out  of  the  sideboard. ' ' 


Amateur  Surgery 


"  Well,"  retorted  Norah,  no  matter  which 
it  is,  that  woman's  a  terror.  She  went  to 
every  door  till  she  found  out  whose  dustpan 
it  was,  an'  then  she  gave  me  fits  for  lettin'  the 
children  play  with  it.  As  if  I  could  be  in  the 
parlor  an'  the  kitchen  all  at  once  !  An'  after 
I  scolded  'em  about  it,  an'  they  said  they  was 
sorry,  what  did  they  do  but  turn  the  water  on 
in  the  bath-tub  to  sail  boats  in,  an'  forgot  it, 
an'  it  leaked  around  the  overflow,  an'  run  down 
to  the  floor  below,  an'  another  woman  came 
up  to  kick,  an'  while  she  was  sassin'  me  they 
was  hookin'  jam  out  of  the  sideboard  an' 
knockin'  over  some  glasses  that  Mrs.  Lintrey's 
very  careful  of,  an'  broke  two  of  'em  !  An' 
when  I  went  at  'em  about  it  they  was  that 
impudent — well,  miss,  I  could  have  stood  that, 
knowin'  that  little  children  don't  always  know 
the  meanin'  of  what  they  say ;  but  what  does 
them  children  do  but  call  me  vile  names,  an' 
when  I  went  to  look  out  of  the  front  window, 
to  see  if  you  wasn't  comin',  so  you  could  take 
'em  in  hand,  they  got  potatoes  out  of  the 
kitchen  an'  throwed  'em  at  me — an'  some  of 
'em  hit  me,  too  !  An'  it's  too  much  for  flesh 
an'  blood  to  stand  any  longer." 

169 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


It  all  seems  too  unnatural  to  believe,"  I 
murmured. 

**  That  it  does,  miss,  but  ask  the  little  dev — 
beggin'  your  pardon,  mxiss,  though  their  doin's 
put  the  word  in  my  mouth — ask  them,  before 
me,  an'  see  if  they  dare  to  deny  a  word  of  it." 

I  went  in  search  of  my  nieces  and  found 
them  in  the  nursery,  apparently  absorbed  in 
their  dolls,  but  they  could  not  help  looking 
askance  at  me,  and  guiltily.  I  was  silent,  for 
I  scarcely  knew  how  to  begin.  Again  they 
glanced  at  me  ;  the  Tiger  sullenly,  and  her  sis- 
ter as  if  wishing  herself  elsewhere. 

Children,  what  did  you  promise  me  when 
I  went  out  ?  " 

Suddenly  the  dolls  required  special  atten- 
tion. 

A-h-h  ! "  the  Tiger  muttered.  "  You  needn't 
holler  as  if  you  was  doein'  to  take  de  woof  off." 

Hateful  ol'  fing!"  whined  the  Insect. 

I  ncie  ! "  I  tried  to  put  a  world  of  rebuke  into 
my  voice,  and  apparently  I  succeeded,  for  the 
Insect  cried  as  if  her  heart  were  breaking. 
This  was  too  much  for  the  Tiger  s  motherly 
heart,  so  she  started  to  comfort  the  Insect, 
but  I  pushed  her  away,  and  said: 

170 


Amateur  Surgery 


'*  I  must  keep  the  bad  sister  away  from  the 
poor  little  thing." 

The  Tiger  emitted  a  roar  that  thoroughly 
frightened  me,  so  loud  and  wild  was  it,  and  she 
followed  it  with  : 

"  Let  me  tomfort  de  Insec'.  Den  you  tan 
punish  me  a  hunderd  years  if  you  want  to." 

**  I  don't  want  to.  But  I  want  to  know,  and 
at  once,  why  you've  been  so  mischievous  and 
meddlesome,  and  so  naughty  to  Norah." 

The  Tiger  looked  as  if  she  also  wished  to 
know,  and  was  trying  to  discover,  but  failing. 

I  dunno,"  she  succeeded  in  saying.  "  All 
I  can  'member  'bout  it  is  dat  we  bedan — an' 
den  we  went  on  doin'  it.  We  didn't  want  to 
be  bad.  We  only  wanted  to  do  djust  whatever 
we  liked — an'  we  done  it." 

''How  do  you  expect  to  undo  it?  You 
can't  take  back  the  hurt  that  the  dustpan  put 
on  the  lady's  head,  nor  give  back  the  jam  you 
stole,  nor  " 

"  Dat's  hoe,"  the  Tiger  admitted,  wiping  her 
lips. 

Nor  mend  mamma's  broken  glasses,  nor 
take  back  the  bad  words  and  potatoes  that 


171 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Tell  you  what,"  said  the  Tiger  frankly. 
We'll  doe  out  in  de  hall,  an'  Norah  tan  tall 
us  all  de  bad  names  hyee  tan  fink  of,  an'  fwoe 
all  de  potatoes  in  de  titchen  at  us,  an'  hurt 
me  awful.  But  hyee  mustn't  let  one  of  dem 
hit  de  Insec',  or  I'll— I'll— I'll  make  Wome 
howl  !' 

^'Tiggie!" 

"You  needn't  hay  Tiggie  at  me  dat  way, 
'tause  I  will." 

I  wants  to  be  hurted,  if  Tiggie's  doein'  to 
be  hurted,"  wailed  the  Insect. 

Something  dashed  past  me  and  snatched 
the  Insect  and  kissed  her,  and  exclaimed : 

Ye  little  darlin',  I  wouldn't  hurt  ye,  not  to 
save  the  life  of  me.  But  ye  broke  yer  Norah's 
heart,  that  ye  did.  An'  as  for  the  old  woman 
downstairs,  if  she  says  another  word  agin  ye 
she'll  get  somethin'  worse  nor  a  dustpan  on 
her  head,  that  she  will." 

Then  Norah  cried,  and  the  children  watered 
her  face  with  penitential  tears,  and  I  felt  like 
telegraphing  Kate  to  return  at  once,  and  like 
keeping  the  children  under  my  eye  until  their 
mother  came  to  them.  Had  Kate  and  I  ever 
done  such  dreadful  things?    Answers  came 

172 


Amateur  Surgery- 
back  in  humiliating  profusion.    Why  had  we 
done  them  ?    I  was  obHged  to  answer,  like  the 
Tiger  : 

"  I  don't  know." 


172 


CHAPTER  XV 


A  Change  of  Base 

Something  to  write  about,  beside  the  chil- 
dren, had  been  so  rare  that  I  wrote  Kate  a  \ 
long  letter  about  Mr.  Stryver's  accident  and 
of  my  amateur  surgery.  I  did  not  spare  the 
dear  girl  any  of  the  details,  for  I  was  quite 
proud  of  my  opportunity  to  have  done  some- 
thing which  would  testify  to  the  readiness  of 
hand  and  fertility  of  resource  which  the  people 
of  the  far  West  claim  as  distinctive  qualities. 

But  alas  !  "  pride  must  have  a  fall."  While 
sealing  the  letter  I  remembered  that  my 
bicycling  was  to  be  a  surprise  to  Kate  on 
her  return,  so  I  destroyed  the  letter  and  wrote 
Mrs.  Lyle,  begging  that  she  also  would  keep 
my  secret ;  or,  at  least,  that  she  would  not, 
directly  or  indirectly,  let  Kate  know  of  my 
share  in  the  affair,  in  case  it  became  neces- 
sary for  her  brother  to  inform  Harry  of  his 
accident. 

I  sent  the  note  by  Norah,  who  returned  in 
an  hour  with  a  reply,  full  of  solemn  promises 

1/4 


A  Change  of  Base 


and  containing  a  grateful  message  from  Mr. 
Stryver,  with  some  compliments  from  his  sur- 
geon, on  the  quality  of  my  "  First  Aid  To 
The  Injured."  Norah  also  brought,  with  Mr. 
Stryver's  card,  a  great  box  of  flowers  so  hand- 
some that  for  a  moment  I  was  wicked  enough 
to  be  glad  of  the  young  man's  accident. 
Flowers  were  so  abundant  at  home  and  so 
scarce  in  New  York  that  I  was  literally  hungry 
for  them,  so  I  buried  my  face  in  the  masses  of 
roses  and  heliotrope,  and  closed  my  eyes  and 
was  imagining  myself  at  home  and  in  our  gar- 
den, when  the  Tiger  pranced  into  the  room 
and  shouted  : 

Nowah  hays  it's  all  fixed." 

What  is,  dear  ?  " 
"Why,  it." 

"  But  which  'it,'  Tiggie?" 

**  Why,  de  one  you  hed  we  mustn't  talk 
about.    Don't  you  know  ?  " 

I  did  not,  but  I  showed  her  the  flowers  and 
asked  her  if  they  were  not  lovely. 

"  'Deed  dey  is,  an'  you  heem  to  love  'em, 
an'  he  loves  you,  an' — but  I  fordot  dat  I 
mustn't  talk  'bout  it,  'tause  dat's  what  '  it's ' 
about." 

175 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Tiggie  !  Remember  !  " 
**  Well,  I  did  'member — hones*  an'  twuly  I 
did.  But  Nowah  done  it — talked  'bout  it,  I 
mean.  Hyee's  been  to  Mis'  Lyle's,  an'  Mis' 
Lyle's  up-'tairs  dirl  told  her  dat  Mr.  'Twyver's 
a-talkin'  'bout  you  all  de  time,  an'  he's  awful 
mashed." 

"Tiggie!  I'm  ashamed  of  you,  and  dis- 
gusted at  your  language.  You  shouldn't  re- 
peat such  words  when  you  hear  them,  nor 
should  you  listen  to  servants'  tattle  about 
anything." 

Well,  how  does  I  know  what's  tattle  and 
what's  twoof  ?  'Sides,  Nowah  don't  tell  lies, 
'tause  I  heard  mamma  hay  hoe.  An'  Nowah 
hed  Mis'  Lyles'  up-'tairs  dirl  hed  dat  Mr. 
*Twyver  bwoke  his  arm  off,  an'  you  put  it  on 
aden  as  dood  as  new.  An'  all  de  fam'ly's 
talkin'  'bout  it,  an'  'bout  how  awful  hmart  an' 
nice  you  are,  an'  Mr.  'Twyver  talks  'bout  it 
more  dan  all  de  west  of  'em  put  togevver." 

"  Nonsense !  As  I've  already  said,  you 
mustn't  listen  to  servants'  tattle,  or  repeat  it, 
or  believe  any  of  it,  else  you'll  make  your 
Auntie  Nell  very  unhappy,  and  your  mamma 
and  papa  too." 

176 


A  Change  of  Base 


"  Den  I  won't  do  it  no  more — hones'  an* 
twuly  I  won't.  But  how  does  man's  arms  look 
when  dey's  bwoke  off  ?  Is  dey  djust  like 
doll's  arms  ?  " 

I  explained  the  difference  between  a  broken 
arm  and  a  severed  one,  and  the  Tiger  listened 
with  interest  so  evident  that  I,  glad  of  a  new 
topic  of  conversation,  went  into  details  and 
even  pretended  to  regard  the  Tiger's  own 
elbow  as  a  fracture  and  to  treat  it  accordingly, 
putting  it  into  splints  split  from  a  box-cover. 
I  had  to  repeat  the  operation  on  the  Insect, 
and  both  children  were  speechless  with  interest 
and  wonder.  Yet  when  the  play  was  over 
and  I  removed  the  bandages,  the  Tiger  said  : 

**  Mis'  Lyle's  up-'tairs  dirl  bet  Nowah  a 
box  o'  tandy  dat  as  boon  as  Mr.  'Twyver  dot 
well  aden  he'd  tum  up  here  an'  ask  you  to 
name  de  day.  An'  I  asked  her  if  arm-bweaks 
made  folks  hoe  hick  dat  dey  fordot  de  names 
of  de  days,  an'  hyee  only  djust  made  a  funny 
face." 

*'  I'm  glad  she  was  sensible  enough  to  an- 
swer in  that  way,"  I  said,  wishing  wildly  that 
I  could  send  Norah  away  and  be  my  own  ser- 
vant.   Small  wonder  that  the  children  some- 

177 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


times  startled  me  with  slang  expressions  and 
v/ith  annoying  questions  !  But  what  could  I 
do  to  prevent  ? — the  custom  had  begun  before 
my  time,  and  apparently  with  my  sister's  ap- 
proval. I  resolved  to  give  Kate  a  serious 
lecture  on  the  subject,  for  1  had  seen  servant- 
spoiled  children  even  in  my  own  unconven- 
tional West. 

I  would  also,  for  my  own  sake,  speak  to 
Norah — speak  firmly,  yet  kindly,  though  I 
wished  I  might  lure  her  to  the  roof  and  cast 
her  down  to  the  pavement  without  fear  of 
detection.  Yet  she  was  one  of  the  best  of  her 
class — a  modest,  neat,  pretty  girl  of  about  my 
own  age.  When  I  asked  her  not  to  bring 
the  children  any  more  stories  concerning  me 
from  the  Lyle's,  nor  from  anywhere  else,  and 
declared  that  there  was  no  ground  whatever 
for  the  tales  already  told,  and  that  I  should 
be  on  my  way  Westward  very  soon,  she  prom- 
ised volubly  and  I  knew  honestly,  for  her  face 
was  one  to  be  trusted.  Yet  she  looked  at  me 
admiringly  and  wonderingly,  as  if  puzzled,  and 
as  I  turned  to  leave  the  room  she  said,  timidly: 

"  Beggin'  your  pardon,  miss,  but  'twill  be 
hard  on  him — an*  him  that  fine  a  young  man  ! 

178 


A  Change  of  Base 


An'  'tis  his  left  arm,  too — the  one  that's  nearest 
the  heart ! " 

Norah's  illogical  sequence,  as  my  college 
brother  would  have  called  it,  was  beyond  my 
comprehension,  yet  after  the  manner  of  many 
other  well-meant  idiocies  it  worried  my  wits  for 
half  an  hour,  and  might  have  continued  to 
waste  my  time  had  not  Mrs.  Lyle's  up-'tairs 
dirl"  arrived  with  a  package  of  bonbons  which, 
it  seemed,  was  to  have  accompanied  the  flow- 
ers. Quickly  calling  the  children  to  me,  I 
took  them  out  walking.  After  some  hard  and 
rapid  thinking  I  stopped  at  a  telegraph  office, 
where  I  got  the  operator  to  wire  the  country 
hotel  where  Kate  and  Harry  were,  and  ask  if 
there  was  room  for  a  lady  and  two  little  chil- 
dren. All  that  followed  need  not  be  described, 
but  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  I  saw  my 
sister  Kate  arise  from  a  piazza  chair  as  quickly 
as  if  she  had  seen  something  of  interest,  and 
then  I  saw  two  children  dash  at  her  and  shout : 
Mamma  ! " 

*'  But  what  has  happened  ? "  Kate  asked, 
after  disengaging  herself  from  the  children 
long  enough  to  reduce  me  to  an  unsightly  ob- 
ject. 

179 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


"  Nothing  whatever — at  least  nothing  bad. 
But  I  was  dying  to  be  with  you,  and  so  were 
the  children,  and  Norah  was  willing  to  care  for 
the  apartment  a  few  days  if  she  might  have 
one  of  her  little  sisters  for  company.  The 
trip  is  entirely  at  my  own  expense,  and  for  the 
rest,  I  hoped  you'd  forgive  me." 

"  Forgive  you,"  Kate  murmured,  with  all 
her  soul  in  her  eyes.  To  have  you  and  my 
darlings  with  me  again  I'd  be  willing  to  lose 
Norah  and  the  house  and  everything  in  it. 
But  I  wonder  what  my  friends  will  think  when 
they  learn  that  no  one  is  at  home  ?  " 

"  I  thought  of  that,"  I  replied,  so  I  dropped 
a  line  to  Mrs.  Lyle,  explaining  that  'twas  plain 
there  was  but  one  way  to  keep  you  from  re- 
turning to  your  children  before  Harry's  vaca- 
tion ended.  I'm  sure  your  letters  read  that 
way.    Was  I  mistaken  ?  " 

*'  No — no  ! "  Kate  exclaimed.  *'  Each  day 
here  I  have  declared  should  be  my  last,  and 
I'm  sure  it  has  made  Harry  very  unhappy." 

You're  not  to  begin  tormenting  him  in 
another  way,"  I  replied.  "  Unless  you  let  me 
keep  the  children  out  of  doors,  all  day  long,  in 
the  hills  and  fields  and  woods,  in  our  own  old 

1 80 


A  Change  of  Base 


healthy  Western  fashion,  and  tumble  them  into 
brooks,  and  teach  them  to  climb  trees  and  track 
animals,  and  be  little  savages  in  general,  I  shall 
take  the  first  train  for  the  West.  That  is  my 
— what  do  the  politicians  call  it  ? — my  ultima- 
tum." 

So  long  as  I  can  see  them  morning  and 
night,  and  know  that  you  will  be  with  them 
the  rest  of  the  time,  you  may  do  as  you  like," 
said  Kate.  *'  And  you're  a  precious  savage 
yourself."  So  I  flattered  myself  that  I  had 
covered  my  tracks  "  most  skilfully. 
Yet  somehow,  between  sunset  and  dark, 
while  all  the  other  people  at  the  hotel  were 
clustered  at  one  end  of  the  piazza  to  get  the 
very  last  tints  of  the  after-sunset,  I  told  Kate 
everything,  even  to  my  bicycle  lessons  and 
what  had  come  of  them.  And  Harry,  who 
heard  not  a  word  of  it,  and  with  whom  Kate 
had  not  more  than  a  single  minute  alone  before 
I  met  him, — Harry  said  : 

Nell,  you're  a  goose !  You  mustn't  take 
it  seriously  when  a  young  man  loses  his  head 
over  you.  I  was  in  that  condition,  with  several 
girls  at  a  time,  before  I  met  Kate,  and  it  did 
me  good,  without  harming  the  girls.    It  put  a 

i8i 

I 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

lot  of  nonsense  into  me,  but  it  took  more  out. 
I  got  some  heartaches,  but  Kate  cured  the 
whole  lot  of  them  as  soon  as  I  met  her. 
Don't  give  the  matter  another  thought.  He 
will  always  be  grateful  to  you,  and  grateful 
friends,  among  men,  aren't  half  bad  for  any 
woman  to  have.  But  before  Wayne's  arm 
becomes  good  again  some  other  girl  will  have 
got  into  his  eyes  and  head — his  sister,  Mrs. 
Lyle,  knows  a  lot  of  them,  and  very  pretty 
ones  too.  The  next  time  you  see  him  you've 
only  to  treat  him  as  a  friend — you  needn't  even 
pretend  to  have  any  sisterly  regard  for  him." 

"  Any  more,  Harry  ?  No  ?  Well,  I  thank 
you  very  much,  though  I  already  knew  all 
you've  told  me,  for  I'm  not  a  child." 

How  crushing  !  But  seriously,  Nell,  I'm 
half  glad  the  young  scamp  broke  his  arm ; 
'twill  keep  him  from  boating  and  bicycling  a 
few  weeks,  and  make  him  ready  to  give  me 
his  entire  time  when  I  return  to  the  city  and 
put  him  into  steady,  hard  training  for  the  work 
at  which  our  firm  intend  to  use  him.  Young 
men — the  best  as  well  as  the  worst,  are  like 
colts ;  what  they  most  hate  about  work  is  the 
breaking-in." 

182 


CHAPTER  XVI 


A  Dangerous  Dream 

To  be  In  the  hills  and  woods  once  more, 
and  yet  be  within  easy  reach  of  Kate  and 
within  arm's-length — seldom  more — of  my 
darling  nieces,  made  me  feel  as  if  I  were  at 
home  again  and  many  years  younger.  I  am 
sure  there  were  days  when  I  felt  no  older  than 
the  Tiger  ;  indeed,  she  was  generally  far  older 
than  I,  if  thoughts  and  questions  were  indi- 
cations of  age,  for  I  was  anew  and  all  the 
while  a-tingle  with  the  delicious  riot  of  living. 
But  the  Tiger  frequently  saw  things,  and 
thought  gravely  of  them,  and  "wanted  to 
know." 

And  what  appetites  we  had  !  The  children 
ate  as  if  they  wished  to  burst  before  leaving 
the  dining-room,  yet  in  all  our  walks  and 
climbs,  and  even  when  we  lounged  by  the  hour 
on  sunny  rocks  or  sprawled  on  the  forest's 
many  rugs  of  pine-needles,  they  were  always 
hungry,  so  I  learned  to  carry  sandwiches  and 

183 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


biscuits  whenever  we  went  out.  When  they 
were  not  hungry  they  were  thirsty,  but  cool 
brooks  were  abundant. 

Kate  did  not  know  of  the  insatiable  mouths, 
or  she  would  have  been  frightened  into  writing 
her  doctor,  but  she  did  see,  day  by  day,  that 
their  cheeks  grew  browner  and  fuller,  and  their 
eyes  more  lustrous,  all  of  which  added  to  her 
own  happiness  and  health,  until  she  became 
almost  her  old  physical  self — full  of  animation, 
and  inclined  to  old-time  rough-and-tumble  play 
with  me  in  her  room,  while  Harry  sat  by  and 
worshipped  her  and  kept  his  eyes  on  her,  no 
matter  what  she  might  be  doing.  I  had  seen 
him  do  something  of  the  kind  in  his  courting 
days,  though  not  so  reverently,  so  I  told  Kate 
of  the  change,  thinking  it  might  please  her. 
But  the  conceited  creature  looked  at  me 
calmly,  grandly — even  mysteriously  and  tan- 
talizingly,  as  she  replied  : 

*'  My  dear,  you'll  learn,  when  your  own 
times  comes,  that  nice  men  are  nicer  in  every 
way  after  they're  married.  Besides,  there's 
nothing  like  a  load  on  the  shoulders  to  bring 
the  heart  into  the  eyes." 

The  mountain  air  seemed  to  have  filled 
184 


A  Dangerous  Dream 


Kate  with  this  sort  of  wisdom,  if  wisdom  it 
was,  for  she  frequently  said  such  things  to  me, 
but  generally  she  got  only  a  sisterly  shake  or 
pinch  in  return.  Perhaps  it  was  the  mountain 
air  that  changed  the  children's  manner  also, 
for  though  they  were  frequently  more  noisy 
and  playful  than  I  had  ever  seen  them  at 
home,  there  were  times  when  they  acted  like 
deaf-mutes  that  had  been  stricken  with  tem- 
porary paralysis.  For  many  minutes  they 
would  sit  or  lie  motionless  while  looking  into 
a  tree-top,  or  at  the  foam-lace  fluttering  over 
rocks  in  a  brook,  or  at  some  bird  as  silent 
as  themselves.  It  was  not  easy  to  recall  them 
to  their  ordinary  manner,  and  unconsciously  I 
stopped  trying,  for  if  they  had  sometimes 
seemed  strange  to  me  while  I  was  caring  for 
them  in  the  city,  they  now  were  mysteries,  so 
I  often  found  myself — and  lost  myself — gazing 
into  their  faces  and  wondering  what  was  going 
on  in  their  hearts.  I  had  never  been  very 
reverent,  but  now  I  was  abashed  and  humbled 
by  the  conviction  that  these  little  creatures 
were,  somehow,  far  greater  and  less  compre- 
hensible than  I,  and  I  began  to  understand 
why  their  mother,  who  was  much  wiser  than  I, 

185 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


and  knew  them  much  better,  often  looked  at 
them  adoringly.  Their  father  did  something 
of  the  kind,  too,  but — oh,  he  wasn't  a  woman  ; 
he  was  not  even  a  full-grown  girl  like  me. 

But  there  were  hours,  and  many  of  them, 
when  the  children  were  mere  animals — good- 
natured  ones,  yet  animals  to  the  full  in  wild- 
ness  and  daring.  Some  half-grown  boys  at 
the  hotel  did  all  sorts  of  dreadful  things,  which 
my  nieces  imitated,  to  the  best  of  their  ability, 
after  having  been  told  that  in  no  circumstances 
must  they  play  with  the  boys.  They  pelted 
each  other  with  green  apples,  and  chased 
chickens  and  ''played  Injun"  with  bows  and 
arrows  made  by  their  father,  the  landlord's 
cows  serving  for  bears  and  buffaloes,  and  they 
pulled  hairs  from  the  tail  of  an  unamiable 
white  horse,  to  make  trout-lines,  though  they 
had  no  hooks  and  they  thought  the  catching 
of  trout  an  act  of  cruelty. 

In  a  sawmill  near  by,  the  boys  would  bestride 
logs  through  which  the  saw  was  making  its 
way,  and  dare  one  another  to  remain  till  the 
saw  was  dangerously  near  the  rider's  face  ;  the 
•  miller  attributed  some  untimely  white  hair  to 
the  frights  which  successive  summers  of  city 

i86 


A  Dangerous  Dream 


boys  had  given  him.  My  nieces  viewed  the 
log-riding  with  unalloyed  admiration ;  they 
seemed  fascinated  by  it.  One  day,  to  keep 
them  from  looking  on,  I  told  them  a  long  and 
I  thought  quite  clever  story  of  a  little  tree 
which  grew  and  grew  till  it  was  so  large  that 
it  became  proud  and  discontented  and  wished 
it  might  go  elsewhere  and  see  other  things 
besides  trees  and  sky  and  earth.  One  day  it 
had  its  wish,  for  some  men  chopped  it  down 
and  lopped  off  its  limbs  and  tumbled  it  into 
a  brook,  where  it  rolled  and  floated  and 
was  bruised  by  rocks,  till  it  reached  a  mill, 
where  a  big  saw  attacked  it,  and  cut  it  into 
boards,  which  were  sent  to  a  city,  where  they 
were  cut  by  many  other  sharp  tools,  and  had 
nails  driven  into  them,  and  the  poor  tree 
finally  found  itself  part  of  a  floor  in  a  big  dark 
house,  where  it  was  walked  on  by  all  sorts  of 
people,  and  never  again  could  see  the  sky  or 
earth  or  feel  the  wind. 

I  know  'bout  dat  tynd  o'  'tory,"  said  the 
Tiger.  It  means  dat  it  ain't  dood  for  you  to 
feel  'tuck  up,  'tause  humfin's  doein*  to  happen 
to  you.  I  felt  dat  way  one  time,  when  I  dot  a 
new  wed  djess,  an'  next  week  what  do  you  'pose 

187 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


I  dot  ?  I  dot  de  tsicken-pox  !  But  'tain't  much 
dood  to  tell  people  huch  'tories,  for  I  told  dat 
one  to  de  Insec'  lots  o'  times,  an  each  time 
hyee  kwied,  'tause  I  had  de  tsicken-pox  an' 
hyee  didn't — didn't  you,  Incie?" 

There  was  no  reply,  but  in  an  instant  the 
Tiger  clutched  my  arm  cruelly,  and  screamed 
as  if  she  were  being  murdered.  Turning 
quickly,  I  saw  the  Tiger  running  toward  the 
mill,  through  the  open  sides  of  which  I  beheld 
the  Insect  astride  the  log  at  which  the  saw  was 
working. 

I  was  only  a  few  steps  from  the  log-carriage, 
which  was  moving  in  the  deliberate  way  of  old 
country  saw-mills,  but  it  seemed  an  hour  be- 
fore I  snatched  that  child  and  hugged  an 
armful  of  screams.  I  was  so  insane  with  fear 
that  I  ran  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  followed 
by  the  Tiger,  before  I  realized  that  the  Insect 
was  really  safe.  Then  I  shook  the  child 
soundly,  and  called  her  many  uncomplimentary 
names,  and  asked  what  she  meant  by  such 
conduct. 

**  Why,"  she  sobbed,  while  the  Tiger, 
large-eyed  and  white-faced,  stood  by,  "  de 
uvver  day  I  done  it,  an'  de  haw  turn  along, 

1 88 


A  Dangerous  Dream 


an'  tut  me  in  two,  hoe  I  was  two  little  dirls, 
djessed  djackly  alike.  An'  we  played  wiv 
each  uvver,  an*  had  lots  o'  fun.  An  den, 
humhow,  I  was  only  one  little  dirl  aden.  An' 
to-day  I  dot  lonesome  for  de  uvver  little 
dirl.  'Sides,  I  wanted  Tiggie  to  hee  her, 
hoe  I  fought  " 

I  tumbled  to  the  ground  and  took  her  in  my 
arms  and  promised  heaven  that  she  should  never 
again  be  out  of  my  sight  an  instant  while  I  had 
her  in  my  charge.  The  Tiger,  who  had  lain 
down  beside  me  and  thrown  her  arm  over  her 
sister,  whispered  to  me  : 

"  Hyee  djeamed  it — don't  you  hee  ?  I 
dess  it's  time  to  have  djeams  'plained  to  her — 
awful  hard,  too,  doe  I  'pose  it'll  make  dee 
mamma  kwy  whole  pailfuls." 

I  agree  with  you,"  I  said  aloud,  '*  and, 
that  your  mother  may  be  spared  some  un- 
necessary tears,  I  shall  explain  the  matter  to  the 
Insect  at  once.  Incie,  dear,  listen  to  Auntie 
Nell.  You  never  were  two  little  girls.  You 
merely  dreamed  that  you  were." 

"  But  I  was  two  ! — weally  an'  twuly  I  was. 
I  'member  all  'bout  it."  The  child's  eyes 
looked  so  honestly   into   mine  that   I  felt 

189 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


utterly  wretched  over  the  task  I  was  attempt- 
ing. 

But  listen — listen  very  carefully,  dear. 
I  know  you  thought  you  were,  but  it  was 
one  of  the  kind  of  thoughts  that  come  into 
people's  minds  while  they're  asleep.  All 
men  and  women  have  such  thoughts  some- 
times, and  they  call  them  dreams." 

The  Insect  looked  blank  a  moment,  and 
then  wonderingly,  while  the  Tiger  took  one 
little  hand  in  both  of  her  own  and  looked 
unutterably  sympathetic  and  miserable.  Soon 
she  succeeded  in  saying  : 

Auntie  Nell  is  tellin*  you  de  twoof,  In- 
cie  dear.  Ev'rybody  has  djeams  humtimes, 
when  dey's  ahleep,  an'  djeams  is  lots  o'  fun, 
too — only  humtimes  dey  ain't,  when  people's 
ate  fings  dat  disagweed  wiv  'em.  Don't 
you  'member  all  de  'tories  you  tell  us  after 
you  takes  your  naps?  Well,  dem's  all 
djeams.  Papa  has  'em,  an'  mamma  has  'em 
— don't  you  'member  how  papa  or  mamma 
humtimes  hays,  *  I  had  huch  a  funny  djeam 
last  night?'  Well,  it  means  dat  while  dey 
was  ahleep  dey  finked  dey  was  doin'  humfin' 
or  heein'  humfin,  but  when  dey  woke  up  dey 

190 


A  Dangerous  Dream 


found  out  it  wasn't  de  twoof.  Don't  you 
'member  ?  " 

Ye — es,"  drawled  the  Insect,  looking  con- 
templative.      Does  you  have  'em  too  ?  " 

Of  tburse  I  do  ! — lots  of  'em." 

Hooray  !  I's  had  anuvver  fing  dat  you's 
had  !  Hooray  !" — and  the  Insect  became  so 
ecstatic  that  she  danced  and  capered  like  a 
fairy,  and  the  Tiger  cried  and  laughed  and 
joined  in  the  dance,  but  soon  she  stopped  and 
said  : 

**  Listen,  Incie  dear ! — listen  wiv  bofe  ears,  as 
papa  humtimes  hays.  Whenever  you  fink  you's 
done  anyfin'  or  been  anyfin'  very  'twange, 
you  must  be  tareful  to  ask  humbody,  *  Was  it 
twue,  or  did  I  djeam  it  ?' " 

All  wight  !  "  replied  the  Insect.  "  But  I's 
had  anuvver  fing  dat  you's  had, — doe  it  wasn't 
de  tsicken-pox.    Hooray  !" 

On  our  way  back  to  the  hotel  I  had  some 
very  uncomfortable  moments,  so  I  said  : 

Children,  you  must  be  careful  to  say  noth- 
ing to  your  mother  about  Incie  riding  on  the 
log  at  the  sawmill,  for  'twould  make  her  very 
'  unhappy.     I  shall  tell  her  about  it,  but  not 
until  we  return  to  the  city,  where  the  mill  will 

191 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


be  so  far  away  that  she  won't  have  any  reason 
to  fear  it.  Meanwhile  Auntie  Nell  will  be  very 
unhappy,  because  she  shouldn't  have  let  Incie 
go  into  the  mill." 

You  didn't  let  me  !  "  exclaimed  the  Insect, 
strutting  like  a  pouter  pigeon.  I  doed  all  by 
my  own  heff,  when  you  wasn't  lookin'.  I  took 
dood  tare  o'  dat !  "  The  expression  of  her  face 
while  she  spoke,  was  positively  impish,  or 
would  have  been,  had  any  other  child  worn  it. 

"  But,"  I  said,  you  must  never  run  away 
from  me  again,  or  I  shall  be  very  wretched, — 
and  I  have  enough  else  to  make  me  unhappy. 
I  shall  think  of  how  careless  I  was,  and  how 
near  my  dear  little  Incie  came  to  being  killed, 
as  she  would  have  been  had  she  remained  on 
that  log  two  or  three  minutes  longer." 

**  I  didn't  det  tilled  de  uvver  time." 
Which  other  time  ?  "  I  asked  quickly  and 
in  terror.    Had  the  child  been  in  the  habit  of 
venturing  to  the  mill  alone  ? — and  when  and 
how  could  she  have  done  it  ? 

"  Why,  de  time  I  was  made  into  two  little 
dirls,"  the  Insect  explained.  The  Tiger,  whose 
eyes  had  been  like  corkscrews,  approached  her 
sister,  and  said : 

192 


A  Dangerous  Dream 


**  But  dere  wasn't  any  weal  uvver  time,  In- 
cie,  dear.  Dat  was  noffin'  but  a  djeam — ycu 
must  pound  it  into  your  fink-box  dat  it  was 
only  a  djeam,  hoe  you  tan't  make  huch  mis- 
takes any  more." 

-  O— h— h  !  I  fordot  'bout  dat.  Well,"— a 
long  sigh  followed — '*well,  tan't  I  det  dat 
djeam  back  aden,  djust  for  a  minute  or  two  ? 
I  want  to  hee  de  uvver  little  dirl  aden,  'tause  I 
lent  her  hum  o'  my  fings,  dat  I  dot  in  de 
djeam,  an'  I  want  to  det  'em  back  aden,  'tause 
hyee  fordot  to  div  'em  to  me.  Don't  you  fink 
mebbe  de  djeam  '11  tum  back  aden  ?  " 

**  'Twill  often  come  to  Auntie  Nell,  I  know," 
said  I  with  a  shudder,  "  I  shall  see  you  sitting 
on  that  log,  with  that  awful  saw  rushing  at 
you,  and  cutting  you  in  two,  and  " 

**  Den  when  it's  tutted  me  in  two  you'll  ask 
de  uvver  little  dirl,  dat  dets  made  of  half  o* 
me,  to  div  me  back  dem  fings  o'  mine,  won't 
you?" 


193 


CHAPTER  XVII 


A  Vacation  Prolonged 

Harry's  fortnight  of  vacation  was  nearly  at 
its  end,  and  Kate  was  beginning  to  talk  of  re- 
turning to  the  city,  but  I  insisted,  with  the  ar- 
rogance and  superior  wisdom  of  a  younger 
sister,  that  she  and  the  children  should  remain. 
Her  first  week  had  given  her  entire  rest,  and 
her  second  week  was  re-making  the  splendid 
creature — the  finest  young  woman  that  her 
sister  s  eyes  had  ever  seen — that  had  married 
Harry  Lintrey  a  few  years  before.  She  could 
see  her  children  whenever  she  liked,  yet  she 
trusted  me  so  fully  that  she  lost  for  the  time 
the  sense  of  responsibility  which  had  made 
her  a  mere  bundle  of  nerves  in  her  city  home. 
So  I  demanded,  in  my  own  name,  and  for  our 
parents,  whom  I  insisted  were  joint  owners  of 
the  children,  that  she  should  remain  until  she 
had  become  permanently  strong. 

But  Kate  "set  her  foot  down."  She  would 
194 


A  Prolonged  Vacation 


not  be  separated  from  her  husband  after  hav- 
ing had  him  all  to  herself  for  so  many  delight- 
ful days. 

"  It  has  been  a  second  honeymoon,"  she 
said,  *'  and  a  hundred  times  as  nice  as  the  first 
one.  I  do  believe  I've  been  doing  missionary 
work,  for  'tis  plain  that  most  of  the  young 
women  here  are  believing  that  some  husbands 
and  wives  can  be  lovers  long  after  they  have 
married.  They've  made  me  a  girl  among  the 
girls  ;  they  treat  me  as  if  I  were  one  of  them, 
and  the  most  interesting  one  of  the  lot." 

**  There's  all  the  more  reason  why  you 
should  remain,  and  continue  the  good  work," 
said  Harry. 

But — "  and  Kate's  voice  grew  pathetic  as 
she  spoke,  I  won't  be  myself,  if  you  are 
away  from  me.    Don't  you  see  ?  " 

Harry  kissed  her  ;  then  his  forehead  wrin- 
kled as  he  began  to  walk  to  and  fro,  with  his 
hands  behind  him. 

*'  I  see  how  it  is  ! "  Kate  sighed.  "  You  are 
already  thinking  of  business,  and  I  mustn't 
and  shan't  prevent  you." 

"  But  think  of  the  children,  Kate  ! "  I  said. 
'*  They're  growing  like  weeds,  in  this  glorious 

195 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


air,  and  they're  happy  all  the  day  long.  You 
simply  shan't  take  them  back  to  the  heat  and 
lifeless  air  of  the  city.  Go  back  with  your 
husband,  if  you  must,  but  I  shall  remain  here 
and  keep  the  children  with  me.  I  won't  allow 
the  dear  little  things  to  go  back  and  be  wilted. 
Besides,  if  you  really  must  go  with  your  hus- 
band, you'll  be  far  the  better  for  two  or  three 
weeks  more  of  relief  from  care." 

*'  Leave  them  ?  "  Kate  exclaimed,  rising  from 
her  chair  and  calling  the  children  from  their 
play  and  to  her  side. 

"  Nell !"  exclaimed  Harry,  so  savagely  as  to 
startle  me,  **  I  could  remain  a  fortnight  longer, 
if  it  weren't  for  you." 

*'  For  me  ? "  I  wondered,  and  painfully^ 
what  could  suddenly  have  made  Harry  un- 
brotherly,  for  the  first  time  since  he  had  en- 
tered our  family. 

**  Yes !  All  that  calls  me  back  is  some 
necessary  coaching  that  I  must  give  Wayne 
Stryver  in  the  business  which  our  firm  expects 
him  to  do  for  them  in  the  West.  This  is  the 
golden  time  to  do  it,  for  his  arm  keeps  him 
from  wheeling  and  boating  and  the  other  out- 
ings that  any  young  man  who  has  not  yet 

196 


A  Prolonged  Vacation 


acquired  business  habits  will  indulge  in  when- 
ever he  can.  So  I  could  give  him  all  my  time, 
and  the  firm  would  gladly  spare  me  from  the 
office  for  that  purpose.  The  provoking  thing 
about  it  is  that  I  could  have  him  entirely  to 
myself — for  he  would  be  away  from  the  chums 
who  drop  in  to  help  him  kill  time,  and  from 
his  sister  and  her  children,  on  whom  he  squan- 
ders hours  every  day,  and  I  could  be  away 
from  my  desk  and  business  interruptions,  and 
could  remain  here  with  my  wife,  if  " 

There  was  a  long  pause,  which  Kate  broke 
by  asking  : 

'**If what?" 

"  Oh,  if  I  could  call  him  up  here  to  me,  in- 
stead of  going  down  to  him.  In  short,  if  a 
very  dear  but  very  foolish  girl  did  not  imagine 
Stryver  in  love  with  her,  and  that  he  would 
annoy  her  with  special  attentions." 

**You — you  lunatic!"  I  blazed  forth.  I 
don't  imagine  him  in  love  with  me,  and  I'm 
quite  competent  to  prevent  any  annoying  at- 
tentions, no  matter  whose  they  may  be.  Do 
you  suppose  that  in  our  part  of  the  West, 
where  men  are  twice  as  numerous  as  women, 
any  girl  can  have  reached  my  age  without 

197 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

having  had  many  admirers,  and  learned  their 
ways  ?  I  didn't  come  up  here  to  avoid  Wayne 
Stryver  ;  'twas  merely  that  I  shouldn't  be  the 
subject  of  kitchen  gossip  between  his  home 
and  yours,  and  that  your  children  should  be 
spared  such  contaminating  twaddle.  I  never 
knew  before  how  little  girls  came  by  such 
notions,  and  a  lot  of  slang  besides,  for  when 
Kate  and  I  were  children  our  parents  were 
too  poor  to  keep  servants.  In  addition  to  all 
that,  Mr.  Stryver,  thanks  to  some  of  your 
children's  nonsense,  believes  that  I  already 
have  a  sweetheart,  and  as  he's  a  gentleman 
he'll  do  nothing  worse  than  admire  me,  which 
won't  trouble  me  in  the  least,  for  I  can  endure 
that  sort  of  thing  as  gracefully  as  girls  in  gen- 
eral.   So  stop  your  foolishness — at  once  !  " 

"  Oh,  my  ears,"  Harry  moaned.  **  How 
they  do  burn !  But,  Nell,  do  you  really  mean 
that  I  may  telegraph  for  him,  and  stay  here 
two  or  three  weeks  longer,  so  that  Kate  and 
the  children  may  not  be  obliged  to  go  back  to 
the  city  in  the  heat  of  the  summer?" 

Yes — on  one  condition." 
"  Name  it !  " 

'Tis  that  you  shall  muzzle  your  dreadful 
198 


A  Prolonged  Vacation 


children,  for  if  they  ever  again  say  a  word  to 
me  about  Mr.  Stryver,  or  to  him  about  me,  or 
to  any  one  here  about  either  of  us,  and  I  hear 
of  it — as  I  shall,  I'll  give  you  my  blessing  and 
take  the  first  train  for  the  West." 

Kate,  regardless  of  the  several  other  people 
who  were  on  the  piazza,  though  not  within 
hearing,  had  thrown  her  arms  around  her  hus- 
band on  learning  that  her  second  honeymoon 
was  to  be  prolonged.  But  my  words  about 
her  darlings  caused  her  to  take  a  defiant  atti- 
tude and  to  ask  : 

"  What  have  the  dear  things  said  ?  " 

"  Oh,  what  haven't  they  said  ?  "  Fortu- 
nately the  Tiger  and  the  Insect  had  returned 
to  their  play,  and  as  Harry  departed  in  haste 
to  the  telegraph  office,  I  unburdened  my  heart 
to  Kate  and  told  her  of  all  the  malapropos 
comments  the  children  had  inflicted  upon  the 
young  man  and  me,  and  all  the  annoying 
questions,  too. 

**I  can't  understand  it!"  said  Kate,  looking 
wildly  across  the  country,  as  if  an  explanation 
might  be  meandering  over  the  hills  or  en- 
tangled in  the  tree-tops. 

I  can,"  I  replied.      Tis  because  you  and 
199 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


Mr.  Stryver  s  sister  allow  your  children  to  be 
familiar  with  your  servants,  who  think  of 
nothing  but  beaus  and  love-making." 

*'  Poor  things  !  "  sighed  Kate.  Our  ser- 
vants are  the  best  of  their  class — good,  and 
neat,  and  even  dainty,  but  I  suppose  beaus  are 
their  only  hope  of  ever  getting  homes  of  their 
own." 

Probably.  But  make  them  keep  their 
beau-talk  to  themselves  ;  or,  keep  your  chil- 
dren away  from  them,  if  you  don't  wish  the 
little  dears  to  become  like  the  kind  you  and  I 
detested  when  we  were  children  together. 
You  know  very  well  that  children  believe 
whatever  they  hear,  no  matter  who  may  tell 
it." 

Kate  went  down  into  the  depths,  and  I 
steeled  my  heart  so  that  I  should  not  help  her 
out,  for  I  was  concerned  far  more  for  my 
nieces  than  for  myself.  Gossip  and  joking 
about  lovers  and  love-making  had  always  been 
sternly  discouraged  at  our  house,  and  I  was 
sure  that  Kate  and  I  were  the  better  for  it, 
though  no  girls  in  our  town  had  met  more  or 
better  young  men  than  we. 

After  the  children  had  been  put  to  bed, 

200 


A  Prolonged  Vacation 


Kate  told  me  that  they  wished  to  see  me,  and 
when  I  entered  their  room,  the  Tiger  said  : 

"  We  ain't  ever  doein'  to  talk  to  you  any 
more  'bout  Mr.  'Twyver,  'tause  mamma  hays 
it  ain't  nice." 

*'  But  we  is  nice,"  added  the  Insect,  from 
behind  and  around  the  fingers  in  her  mouth. 

Ain't  you  dlad,  doe,"  the  Tiger  asked,  dat 
Mr.  'Twyver's  tummin'  up  here?  'Tause 
papa's  dot  to  talk  to  him  'bout  a  lot  of  busi- 
ness, an'  it  lets  papa  'tay  here  wiv  mamma  an* 
us." 

*'  I  djust  love  Mr.  'Twyver  fordoin'  it,"  said 
the  Insect.  '*  Don't  you  love  him  for  doin'  it 
too.  Auntie  Nell  ?  " 

**  No,  dear,  though  I'm  very  glad  for  papa's 
and  mamma's  sake  that  he's  coming." 

**Well,  I  don't  fink  it's  very  dood  of  you 
not  to  love  Mr.  'Twyver  for  doin'  it." 

The  Tiger  whispered  to  her  sister,  who 
clapped  her  hands  to  her  mouth  and  looked 
troubled  : 

Aunty  Nell,"  said  the  Tiger,  "  don't  you 
'member  how  funny  Mr.  'Twyver  looked  at 
you  dat  day  on  de  Dwive,  when  your  wheel 
wan  away  wiv  you  ?  " 

20 1 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


**No,  I  don't!    Nor  do  I  believe  that  you 
remember  any  thing  of  the  kind." 
But  I  do." 

*'Hoe  do  I  !"  said  the  Insect.  A  strange 
expression  came  into  her  eyes  as  she  added, 

But  I  dess  I  must  havedjeamed  it — an'  Tig- 
gie  djeamed  it  too !  Hooray !  We  bofe 
djeamed  de  hame  fing  !  " 

The  Tiger  looked  doubtful,  and  she 
drawled  : 

I — don't — know — 'bout  dat.  I  fink  my 
eyes  was  awful  wide  open  dat  time,  hoe  I 
don't  like  to  b'lieve  I  djeamed  it." 

Den  you's  a  hateful  fing  ! "  whined  the 
Insect,  emphasizing  her  opinion  with  a  slap 
and  receiving  in  return  a  pinch  that  made  the 
Insect  cry. 

Children  ! — children  !  Then  the  Tiger 
wept  and  told  the  Insect  that  she  was  sorry, 
and  the  Insect  replied  : 

I  ain't  horry  a  bit !  Dat's  de  first  djeam — 
de  very  first,  dat  we  was  ever  in  togevver,  an' 
you  don't  want  to  be  in  it  ! " 

Do  be  in  it,  Tiggie,"  I  begged,  "  if  only 
to  please  your  dear  little  sister." 


202 


A  Prolonged  Vacation 


Well,  I'll  twy  to.  But  'twill  take  an  awful 
lot  o'  twy  in'." 

Hay,  Auntie  Nell,"  the  Insect  asked,  is 
you  doein'  to  mend  Mr.  'Twyver's  arm  aden  ? " 

No,  child.  The  doctor  gave  it  the  second 
mending." 

Dat's  funny.  'Tause  Nowah  hed — '* 
The  strange  look  came  into  her  eyes  ^gain  as 
she  added,  "  I'll  bet  dat  I  djeamed  dat  too  ! " 

"Auntie  Nell,"  said  the  Tiger,  Nowah 
hed  dat  de  bwoke  was  in  Mr.  'Twyver's  left 
arm  an'  dat  arm  was  nearest  de  heart,  an'  dat 
was  a  hine.    What's  it  a  hine  of  ?  " 

**'Tis  a  sign  that  Norah  is  a  goose.  Sen- 
sible people  don't  believe  in  signs." 

Yes  dey  do.  Papa  does,  an'  you  needn't 
tell  me  dat  he  ain't  hensible,  else  I'll  b'lieve 
you  djeamed  it.  He  hays  dat  when  we  have 
two  helpin's  of  pweserves  at  hupper  it's  a  hine 
dat  we'll  wake  up  twoss  in  de  mornin'.  An' 

it  always  tums  twue.    When  Mr.  'Twyver  " 

Tiggie,  you  called  me  in  here  a  few  mo- 
ments ago  to  tell  me  that  never  again  would 
you  speak  to  me  about  Mr.  Stryver.  Yet 
you've  talked  of  him  and  nothing  else  !  What 
do  you  mean  by  it  ?  " 

203 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


The  Tiger  looked  unhappy,  and  she  searched 
her  mind  a  long  time  before  she  replied  : 

'*  I  didn't  mean  to — hones'  an'  twuly  I  didn't. 
I'll  tell  you  how  I  dess  it  was.  Mamma 
talked  to  us  hucha  lot  about  him,  djust  before 
you  tame  in,  dat  I  tan't  fink  'bout  anyfing 
else." 

*'  My  fink-box  is  cwam  full  of  him,"  the  In- 
sect complained,  an'  mamma  made  it  dat  way. 
I  wiss  hyee'd  tum  back  an'  take  him  out  of  it." 

Suddenly  the  Tiger  arose,  rested  an  elbow 
on  the  pillow,  looked  at  me  with  the  air  of 
one  who  had  made  a  great  discovery,  and  said  : 
I's  dot  it  !  Incie,  dear,  listen — weal  hard  ! 
Ev'ry  time  we  fink  'bout  Mr.  'Twyver,  let's 
make  b'lieve  it's  a  djeam  !  Let's  make  b'lieve 
dat  he's  a  djeam,  too  !  An',  Auntie  Nell,  you 
tan  help  us,  'tause  you  tan  make  b'lieve,  djust 
like  us,  dat  he  ain't  noffin'  but  a  djeam." 

"  An  awful — bid — djeam  !  "  murmured  the 
Insect,  as  she  drifted  into  dreamland  and  I 
slipped  from  the  room. 


204 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


"Playin'  Injun" 

When  Mr.  Stryver  came  up  from  the  city 
he  looked  so  Httle  like  an  invalid  that  Kate, 
whose  heart  went  out  to  every  afflicted  crea- 
ture, declared  that  she  had  utterly  wasted  a 
great  lot  of  sympathy  on  him.  Though  he 
carried  his  left  arm  in  a  sling,  his  complexion 
was  good  and  his  eyes  clear,  and  he  held  his 
own  with  Harry  on  an  outing  for  trout  before 
he  had  been  with  us  forty-eight  hours. 

Better  still,  he  made  light  of  his  infirmity, 
and  declined  assistance  of  every  kind,  except 
from  Harry,  with  whom  he  spent  most  of  his 
time.  As  our  hotel  was  not  fashionable,  he 
lived  all  day  in  what  the  young  women  from 
New  York  called  bicycle  clothes,  golf  clothes, 
tennis  clothes  or  boating  clothes — each  accord- 
ing to  her  associations.  Whatever  they  were, 
they  seemed  to  compel  him  to  conform  his 
manners  to  them,  for,  though  never  rude  or 
careless,  he  was  entirely  unconventional  and 

205 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


at  his  ease,  and  therefore  very  unlike  his  city 
and  formal  self. 

After  the  evening  meal  he  would  sit  for 
hours  with  us  and  chat  about  ordinary  affairs 
as  naturally  as  if  he  were  not  a  superior  being 
— in  his  own  estimation — and  he  and  Harry 
would  exchange  improbable  stories  as  merrily 
as  if  they  were  competing  for  the  long-bow 
championship.  Often  a  business  reminder 
would  obtrude  itself ;  it  seemed  that  Mr. 
Stryver  had  taken  a  long  special  course  in 
metallurgy  and  mining,  that  he  might  become 
a  mining  engineer,  as  Harry  was  ;  so  at  times 
I  heard  of  shafts  and  tunnels  and  winzes  and 
levels  and  veins  and  fissures  and  blankets  and 
chlorides  and  sulphurets  and  refractories  and 
concentrates  and  free  milling  and  amalgamat- 
ing and  cyaniding,  until  it  seemed  that  my 
father  and  brother  were  talking. 

It  was  impossible  that  Kate  and  I  should 
not  take  part  in  these  conversations,  for  were 
we  not  daughters  of  a  mining  expert  ?  Our 
comments  seemed  at  first  to  astonish  our 
guest,  and  then  to  amuse  him,  but  as  he  never 
forgot  his  manners  he  soon  acquired  the  habit 
of  asking  our  opinion  of  everything  of  which 

206 


^^Playin  Injun" 


he  and  Harry  talked.  He  did  it  quite  nicely, 
too,  telling  us  frequently  that  though  he  had 
studied  hard  for  years,  the  most  he  had  learned 
of  mining  was  that  an  ounce  of  experience 
was  worth  a  ton  of  theory. 

For  the  rest,  he  was  quite  as  polite  and  at- 
tentive to  the  other  girls  at  the  hotel  as  to  me, 
and  as  these  girls  had  no  sisters'  children  on 
their  hands,  or  anything  else  to  do,  they  made 
much  of  him,  which  I  didn't  doubt  he  enjoyed, 
for  he  was  not  a  fool  and  he  was  a  young  man. 
I  had  always  liked  to  see  my  only  full-grown 
brother  among  a  lot  of  nice  girls,  for  between 
them  they  taught  him  that  there  was  more 
than  one  girl  in  the  world,  which,  according 
to  my  father,  who  knows  everything,  is  the 
most  important  bit  of  knowledge  a  young 
man  can  acquire  before  he  meets  the  onlyest " 
girl  in  the  world — the  adjective  is  father's  own. 

The  children — bless  their  hearts  ! — made 
not  a  bit  of  the  trouble  I  had  feared.  We  were 
out  and  away  every  morning  with  a  full  lunch 
basket,  and  we  remained  in  the  woods,  though 
never  very  far  from  the  hotel,  until  mid-after- 
noon or  later.  We  were  entirely  safe,  for 
tramps  had  never  been  seen  in  the  vicinity. 

207 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


At  first  Kate  was  horrified  at  my  letting  the 
Insect  take  her  afternoon  nap  on  a  bed  of  dry 
leaves  that  had  been  warmed  by  the  sun,  but 
when  I  assured  her  that  I  always  sat  by  her 
side,  reading  a  book,  or  whispering  stories  to 
the  Tiger,  she  withdrew  her  objections,  being 
assisted  by  Harry's  assertion  that  he  wished 
the  children  and  their  mother  and  he  could 
sleep  out  of  doors  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
days  (or  nights)  of  every  year.  I  did  not  tell 
Kate  that  sometimes  I  too  fell  asleep  beside 
the  Insect  for  a  few  moments,  with  my  big 
farmer-hat  over  my  eyes,  and  that  on  waking 
from  such  naps  I  always  found  the  Tiger  on 
guard  over  both  of  us. 

My  only  cause  of  fear  was  snakes — a  class 
of  beings  which  from  my  youth  up  I  had  been 
taught  to  suspect  and  avoid.  Before  we  had 
been  in  the  mountains  a  week  the  Tiger  came 
to  me,  laughing  as  if  she  and  the  Insect  had 
devised  a  new  and  utterly  silly  joke,  and  she 
said : 

"  De  funniest  fing  !  Dere  was  a  old  piece 
of  wope  lyin'  hide  o'  de  woad,  an'  I  was  doein' 
to  pick  it  up  an'  make  a  djumpin'-wope  of  it, 
an' — what  do  you  fink  ?    Why,  all-a-hudden  it 

208 


Dere  was  a  old  piece  of  zvope  I'^bi'  hide      de  woad.^^ 


"  Playin'  Injun  " 


dot  a  head  on  one  end  of  it,  an'  made  faces  at 
me  !  An'  den  it  hlipped  away  as  if  humbody 
was  pullin'  it." 

**Tiggie!"  I  gasped,  **that  wasn't  —  you 
mustn't  ever — Tiggie,  that  wasn't  a  piece  of 
rope.  It  was  something  very  dangerous.  It 
was  a  serpent — a  snake  !  " 

The  Tiger's  eyes  became  so  large  that  I 
feared  serious  consequences ;  but  the  child 
should  be  thoroughly  warned,  if  she  did  not 
already  know  of  serpents  and  their  ways,  so  I 
continued : 

Have  you  never  heard  of  snakes,  and  the 
— ugh — dreadful  things  they  do  ?  " 

'*Yes,"  the  Tiger  replied,  contemptuously. 
*'  Papa's  told  me  all  'bout  de  hnake  in  de  front 
o'  de  Bible — de  one  dat  talked,  an'  told  a  lot 
o'  lies,  an'  coaxed  Mrs.  Adam  to  eat  hum  ap- 
ples. Dere's  a  pittcher  of  him  in  our  big 
Bible.  But  de  one  in  de  woad  didn't  look  a 
bit  like  him.  An'  it  didn't  hay  nuffin'  'bout 
apples — but  dey  ain't  wipe  yet.  But  mebbe 
he  was  twyin'  to  talk,  'tause  he  wiggled  his 
head  weal  hard,  an'  'tuck  out  his  tongue.  It's 
dood  for  him  dat  he  didn't  tell  me  any  of  his 
lies,  'tause  " 

209 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


'*  Tiggie,  do  be  quiet  and  listen  to  me. 
Whenever  you  see  anything  in  the  road,  or 
the  grass,  or  the  bushes,  that  looks  like  a  bit 
of  rope,  turn  at  once  and  go  the  way  you 
came,  so  that  you  shan't  be  hurt.  Snakes 
bite  people  ;  sometimes  they  kill  them.  Do 
you  hear  me  ?  " 

Of  tourse  I  do.  You  needn't  'plit  your 
fwoat  'bout  it.  Well,  well  !  To  fink  dat  it 
was  a  hnake,  an'  not  a  wope  at  all!  Hay, 
Auntie  Nell,  what  did  de  Lord  make  hnakes 
for  ?    What's  dey  dood  for,  anyhow  ?  " 

"Good  for?  They  are  good  to  teach  little 
girls  to  keep  their  eyes  open,  and  not  to  med- 
dle with  anything  they  don't  understand,  even 
if  it  looks  like  a  dirty  piece  of — ugh  ! — rope." 

"  Well,  dere  wasn't  any  little  dirls  in  de 
darden  where  dat  ol'  hnake  in  de  Bible  made 

hoe  much  twouble,  hoe  " 

No,  but  girls,  and  women,  have  been 
afraid  of  them  ever  since." 

"  Boys  ain't  afwaid  of  'em,  doe.  'Tause  I 
heard  hum  of  de  boys  at  de  hotel  talkin'  'bout 
how  dey  wanted  to  till  a  lot  of  'em.  Dem  boys 
knows  lots  of  funny  fings,  an'  hum  day  me 
an'  de  Insec'  is  doein'  to  "    The  statement 

2IO 


"  Playin'  Injun  " 


was  stopped  by  a  fit  of  laughter,  but  the  Tiger 
recovered  and  asked : 

Hay,  Auntie  Nell,  what's  a  pwincess?" 
"  The  daughter  of  a  king,  dear.    But  what 
has  put  princesses  into  your  blessed,  ridiculous 
little  head  ?  " 

Oh,  noffin',"  was  the  reply,  accompanied 
by  an  embarrassed  look. 

"  Don't  say  *  noffin* '  in  that  foolish  way,  but 
tell  me." 

Must  I  ?— hones'  an'  twuly  ?" 
"  Yes — and  at  once." 

"Well,  I's  dlad  of  it,  'tause  I  want  to  know 
'bout  it.  De  uvver  day,  when  you  was  tummin* 
atwoss  de  dwass  in  fwont  o'  de  hotel,  Mr. 
'Twyver  hed  dat  you  looked  like  an  Injun 
pwincess,  wiv  your  bwown  face  an'  'perb  eyes 
an'  bwoad  hyoulders  an'  tweenly  walk  an' — oh, 
humfin'  else — I  fordet  what." 

**  Never  mind  it,  dear.  I  don't  doubt  'twas 
*  humfin' '  equally  foolish." 

**  Well,  mamma  didn't  fink  'twas  foolish, 
'tause  hyee  looked  djust  like  hyee  does  when 
papa  tells  her  humfin'  weal  nice.  An'  papa 
was  dere  too,  an'  he  hed,  '  You  heem  to  have 
your  eyes  in  your  head,  ol'  man.'    An'  wasn't 

211 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


dat  funny  o'  papa?  'Tause  where  else  tood 
Mr.  'Twyver  teep  his  eyes  ?  " 

I  ignored  the  subject  by  going  in  search  of 
the  Insect  and  beginning  our  daily  ramble  in 
the  woods,  with  the  occasional  burrowings  in 
the  earth  and  scrutiny  of  animals,  insects,  and 
birds,  of  which  the  children  never  wearied.  I 
told  them  of  many  strange  things  in  plant-life 
and  animal  habits,  and  they  were  insatiate  for 
more.  Yet  after  a  morning  stroll  and  climb 
and  a  midday  meal,  they  were  quite  as  willing 
as  I  to  sprawl  on  a  warm  hillside  only  half 
shaded  by  the  trees,  and  quietly  enjoy  the  fresh 
air  and  the  ever-new  delight  of  mere  living. 

The  air  seemed  warmer  and  the  day  balmier 
than  usual,  so  while  the  Insect  slowly  fell 
asleep,  her  cherubic  head  pillowed  upon  my 
arm,  I  fell  to  day-dreaming  and  then  dropped 
into  a  doze.  I  was  soon  roused  by  little  fin- 
gers passing  softly  over  my  cheeks  and  brow, 
and  when  I  opened  my  eyes  I  saw  the  Tiger 
looking  so  happy  that  I  asked  her  what  was 
amusing  her. 

"  Oh,  I  was  djust  finkin'  'bout  hum  fun  de 
Insec'  an'  me'll  have  when  we  det  back  to  de 
hotel." 

212 


Playin'  Injun 


I  gently  displaced  the  Insect's  head  from 
my  arm,  arose,  and  began  to  contemplate  the 
scenery.  I  heard  the  Insect  stir,  but  the 
Tiger  was  beside  her  in  a  moment,  and  there 
was  the  customary  interchange  of  kisses  and 
whisperings  and  catch-words  and  titters,  and  by 
the  time  we  started  homeward  the  children 
were  capering  as  gayly  as  if  they  had  not  been 
on  their  feet  most  of  the  day. 

*' Children,"  I  said,  wouldn't  it  be  lovely  if 
we  could  take  the  woods  and  hills  and  brooks 
and  air  back  to  New  York  with  us  when  we 
go?" 

"  'Deed  it  would,"  the  Tiger  replied,  "  but 
we  toodn't  play  Injun  dere  wivout  havin'lots  o' 
little  'treet  wowdies  after  us  an'  bovverin'  us." 

**  Ah  ?  You're  playing  Indian,  are  you  ?  I 
couldn't  imagine  why  you  were  acting  so 
wildly." 

Yes,  we's  Injuns,  but  we  don't  make  b'lieve 
murder  people,  an'  take  de  hair  off  of  deir 
heads  an'  put  it  in  our  belts,  like  de  boys  do. 
An'  you's  our  pwincess." 

'*  De  Injun  pwincess,"  added  the  Insect. 
*'  We  don't  like  bid  med'cine  mans,  an'  Hittin' 
Bulls,  an'  tings,  like  de  boys  has  to  boss  'em. 

213 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


But  Injun  pwincesses  is  nice."  Then  they 
danced  about  me,  and  uttered  many  yells, 
learned  from  the  boys  and  supposed  to  be 
war-whoops,  and  they  demanded  that  I  should 
lead  them  on  a  buffalo-hunt.  The  bushes 
would  do  for  buffaloes,  if  we  made  b'lieve'* 
hard  enough,  and  for  weapons  the  long  straight 
sticks,  which  I  cut  every  morning,  partly  as 
walking-sticks,  partly  to  **  poke  "  with,  would 
serve  as  spears.  Blessed  be  imagination ! 
Those  two  children  *'  made  b'lieve  "  so  indus- 
triously that  they  invested  the  bushes  with 
horns  and  manes  and  tails,  and  threw  the 
spears  as  carefully  as  if  their  dinners  depended 
on  the  result. 

There  is  something  infectious  in  imagination 
and  excitement  when  they  are  prolonged,  even 
by  children,  for  I  soon  found  myself  pretend- 
ing to  be  an  Indian.  I  tossed  my  hat  back  till 
it  lay  on  my  shoulders,  and  I  threw  spears  as 
earnestly  as  the  children,  and  was  as  pleased, 
when  I  hit  the  mark,  as  I  had  ever  been  when 
shooting  with  a  rifle  at  real  game  in  real  moun- 
tains. 

Buffaloes  became  scarce  as  we  roamed  over 
a  bit  of  ground  on  which  there  had  been  forest 

214 


"  Playin'  Injun  " 


fire,  so  we  Indians  pressed  down  the  slope  to- 
ward a  brook  which  was  fringed  with  low 
growth.  Near  the  brook  I  stopped,  pointed 
to  a  dense  clump,  and  exclaimed: 

**  Look  at  it ! — the  big  buffalo  ! — the  leader 
of  the  herd !  "  I  poised  my  spear  carefully, 
threw  it  with  all  my  might  and  made  a  fair  hit. 
The  children  yelled  gleefully,  and  a  voice  not 
at  airchildish  said: 

"  Good  shot  !  "  Then  Mr.  Stryver  and  a 
trout-rod  came  from  behind  the  thicket. 

I  hope  you  were  not  hit !  "  I  said.  **  The 
children  have  been  playing  Indian  and  killing 
buffaloes,  and  I  had  to  join  in  the  sport,  for 
they  appointed  me  an  Indian — er — leader." 

**  An  Injun  pwincess,"  the  Tiger  explained. 

"  Capital !  You  act  the  part  splendidly,  and 
look  it  too." 

**  Thank  you.  What  luck  have  you  had  with 
your  rod  ?  " 

The  children  found  the  answer  in  his  basket, 
and  began  to  play  that  the  trout  were  dead 
dolls,  while  I  begged  the  angler  not  to  let  us 
interfere  with  his  sport. 

"I'm  glad  of  an  excuse  to  rest,"  he  replied. 
"  A  little  fishing  is  enough,  when  a  man  has 

215 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


but  one  free  hand."  Then  he  smiled  at  the 
children's  new  play,  and  talked  in  a  low  tone 
of  the  oddity  of  children  in  general  and  of 
their  ability  to  imagine  the  impossible.  He 
told  of  some  diversions  of  his  own  nieces  that 
were  so  peculiar  that  he  could  not  have  be- 
lieved them  possible  had  he  not  seen  them, 
and  heard  the  children's  talk  while  they  played. 
Each  of  his  stories  elicited  something  similar 
about  my  own  nieces,  so  we  exchanged  tales 
till  I  thought  it  time  to  take  my  charges  back 
to  their  mother.  Mr.  Stryver  seemed  some- 
what embarrassed  when  I  started,  and  he  stam- 
mered: 

Shan't  you — er — didn't  you  intend  to  re- 
move your — er — the  insignia  of  your  supposi- 
tious Indian  leadership  before  returning  to  the 
hotel?" 

I  stared  at  him  a  moment  before  I  replied: 

Insignia?    I  don't  understand  you." 
He  looked  at  me  wonderingly,  and  then  he 
looked  helpless.    Seeming  to  suspect  some- 
thing he  turned  and  said: 
Children  !  " 

They  dropped  their  trout-dolls  and  hurried 
toward  him.  He  looked  at  them  reprovingly 
and  asked: 

216 


"  Playin'  Injun  " 


Is  your  aunt's  new — though  very  effective 
— face  a  part  of  your  Indian  play  ?  " 

"Injun  pwincess  ! — Injun  pwincess!"  they 
shouted,  and  again  they  began  dancing  and 
shouting  their  war-whoop.  I  felt  indignant, 
for  I  hate  mystery,  and  it  was  plain  that  the 
children  were  laughing  at  me.  Mr.  Stryver 
said  gently: 

"  Please  forgive  them !  Children  will  be 
children,  as  we  both  admitted  a  moment  ago. 
Your  nieces  have  merely  traced  two  or  three 
red  lines  on  your  face,  apparently  with  a 
crushed  berry.    Allow  me  to  remove  them." 

Quickly  wetting  a  handkerchief  in  the  brook 
he  passed  it  softly  over  my  cheeks  and  fore- 
head, telling  me  at  the  same  time  of  the  paint- 
ing which  some  of  the  boys  longest  at  the 
hotel  had  inflicted  upon  a  new  arrival  who 
wished  to  play  Indian  with  them.  Mr.  Stry- 
ver meant  well,  and  no  woman  could  have 
treated  my  face  more  daintily,  but  my  cheeks 
burned  so  hotly,  as  I  thought  of  the  spectacle 
I  might  have  offered  at  the  hotel  had  he  not 
met  us,  that  it  seemed  as  if  they  must  dry  the 
water  as  soon  as  it  touched  them. 

*'  YouVe  very  kind,"  I  said,  "but  please  let 
217 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


me  take  the  handkerchief  ?  I'm  afraid  my 
face  needs  ruder  treatment  than  you're  giving 
it." 

I  had  been  in  the  woods  often  enough,  out 
home,  to  know  the  value  of  still  water  as  a 
mirror,  so  I  stepped  toward  an  unrippled  part 
of  the  brook,  turned  toward  the  sun,  and 
looked  at  the  reflection  of  my  face.  Horrors  ! 
I  saw  broad  red  streaks  and  spots  on  each 
cheek  and  on  my  forehead  too.  Oh,  those 
impish  children  !  I  washed  and  rubbed  and 
scrubbed,  but  berry  stain  —  I  knew  what  it 
had  often  done  to  my  finger-tips,  though  in 
such  cases  the  effect  was  general,  not  streaky. 
Fortunately  my  complexion,  heightened  by 
friction  and  anger,  soon  made  my  face  appear 
rid  of  its  paint,  so  I  called  sharply  : 

Children  !  I  shall  take  you  to  your 
mother — at  once  ! " 

Please  don't  be  too  severe  with  them  ! 
Mr.  Stryver  begged,  as  he  took  the  wet  hand- 
kerchief from  my  hand  and  walked  beside  me. 
"  Of  course  they  don't  for  an  instant  realize 
what  a  liberty  they  have  taken." 

**  Not  after  having  seen  me  look  like  a 
savage  ? — a  squaw  ? — or  worse — a  guy  ?  " 

2I§ 


"  Playin  Injun 


Pardon  me,  but  you  looked  like  nothing 
of  the  sort.  I'm  sure  I  ought  to  know.  Any 
artist  would  have  had  the  inspiration  of  his 
life  could  he  have  seen  you — er — spear  that 
buffalo.    Diana    at    the    chase    could  not 

have  " 

**  Diana  in  war-paint  ?  '* 

"  I  assure  you  that  I  didn't  see  the  paint — 
till  afterward.  I  saw  only  your  eyes  and  pose. 
I've  an  artist  friend — quite  a  prominent  por- 
trait painter,  who  insists  that  what  he  calls  the 
*  hunter  s  eye  '  is  one  of  the  rarest  and  noblest 
graces  of  woman's  face.'* 

Indeed  ?  I  hope  I  may  find  it,  when  I 
can  spare  the  time  to  look  for  it.  But  at 
present  I  should  most  like  to  know  when 
and  how  those  dreadful  children  disfigured 
me." 

"  Allow  me  to  find  out  for  you.  Children  !  '* 
"  Huh  ?"  responded  the  Tiger.  I  had  given 
both  of  my  nieces  so  many  indignant  glances, 
after  discovering  their  trick,  that  they  had  re- 
mained a  step  or  two  behind  us  and  conversed 
only  in  whispers. 

Which  do  you  like  best — marshmallows, 
or  cream  chocolates  ?  " 

219 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


**  Bofe,"  the  Insect  replied,  with  ladylike 
yet  lingering  modulation  of  voice. 

"  Good !  You  shall  have  both,  when  we 
return  to  the  hotel,  if  you  will  tell  Miss  Trew- 
some  how  and  when  and  why  you  marked  her 
face  so  peculiarly." 

"Why,  you  hee,"  said  the  Tiger,  we  haw 
de  boys  at  de  hotel  play  Injun  lots  o'  times, 
an'  we  wanted  to  play  it  wiv  'em,  but  Auntie 
Nell  wouldn't  let  us,  an'  papa  an'  mamma 
wouldn't  neiver.  An'  humtimes  de  boys  made 
deir  faces  all  Injun  wiv  berries  an'  fings,  but 
mamma  an'  papa  an'  Auntie  Nell  hed  we 
mustn't  do  it.  An'  de  uvver  day  mamma  hed 
Auntie  Nell  had  been  out  in  de  wind  an'  hun 
hoe  much  dat  hyee  looked  like  an  Injun  tween 
— dere  was  one  of  'em  here  dat  day,  hellin' 
baskets  an'  fings." 

"  Complimentary  !  "  I  murmured. 
Libellous  !  "  Mr.  Stryver  asserted. 

**  An'  den  Mr.  'Twyver  hed  you  looked  like 
an  Injun  pwincess,  an' — " 

Er — ^what  I  wish  to  learn,"  Mr.  Stryver 
said  hastily,  "  is  not  what  people  said,  no  mat- 
ter how  honestly,  but  how  Miss  Trewsome  was 
painted  to-day." 

220 


"Playin  Injun*' 

"  Well,"  the  Tiger  continued,  we  fought 
how  much  more  Injun-tweeny  an'  Injun-pwin- 
cessy  hyee'd  look  if  hyee  had  de  marks  on  her 
face  like  de  boy-Injuns.  An'  my  fink-box  dot 
djust  full  of  it.  An*  to-day,  when  hyee 
dwopped  ahleep  on  de  leaves  wiv  de  Insect,  I 
djust  toodn't  'tand  it  any  longer.  Hoe  I  dot 
hum  bewwies,  an  mashed  'em  in  my  hand, 
djust  like  de  boys  does,  an'  wubbed  my  finger 
in  'em,  and  putted  it  atwoss  her  face  a  lot  o' 
times,  weal  hoft,  'tause  I  took  her  big  hat  off 
her  eyes,  hoe  de  hun  looked  into  'em,  an'  hyee 
might  wake  up  'fore  I  dot  fwoo.  An'  bimeby 
hyee  woke  up,  an'  pooty  boon  de  Insec'  woke 
up,  an'  I  told  her  'bout  it,  hoe  Auntie  Nell 
toodn't  hear  me." 

*'An'  bofe  of  us  most  busted  ourseffs  laughin','* 
added  the  Insect,  "Auntie  Nell  played  Injun 
a  million  times  splendider  dan  de  boys  at  de 
hotel.  An'  we  never  had  huch  lots  o*  fun  in 
our  lives." 

**  Think  of  it ! "  Mr.  Stryver  whispered. 
**What  wouldn't  some  people  give  to  have 
made  two  little  innocents  so  happy." 

**  Are  the  little  innocents — imps  ! — the  only 
ones  to  be  considered  ?  " 

221 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 

"  Er — I  really  supposed  they  were — in  your 
family." 

**  Not  to  the  extent  of  humiliating  any  one 
else." 

Really?  I'd  imagined,  from  an  experi- 
ence of  my  own — it  was  the  second  time  I  had 
the  honor  of  meeting  you,  that  " 

I  recalled  the  night  when  he  was  ushered 
into  the  parlor  while  the  children  and  I  were 
rolling  on  the  floor,  and  how  I  avenged  my- 
self by  insisting  that  he  should  swing  the 
children,  and  sing  doggerel  to  them,  and  com- 
promise his  dignity,  so  I  replied  quickly : 

'''Twas  my  fault — entirely,  and  I  beg  that 
you'll  forgive  me." 

**  'Twill  be  very  difficult !  "  he  sighed, — and 
then  he  smiled  mischievously,  but  I  will 
make  the  effort  if  you  will  kindly  tell  me  what 
a  'tolledge  datepost'  is.  'Tis  an  expression 
which  my  nieces  acquired  from  your  nieces, 
and  I've  been  quite  curious  to  " 

**  *Tis  nothing — there  is  no  such  thing. 
There  was,  but  it  has  entirely  disappeared, 
like  some  of  the  extinct  species." 

Thank  you  !  "  he  said,  with  an  affectation 
of  relief,  and  also  with  a  look  that  made  me 

222 


"Playin'  Injun" 


laugh  so  heartily  that  I  forgot  the  Injun  "  in- 
cident till  we  were  near  the  hotel  grounds, 
and  Mr.  Stryver  said  : 

As  there's  no  brook  here  to  serve  as  mir- 
ror, allow  me  to  adjust  your  hat  for  you. 
There  are  still  traces  of  those  berry  stains, 
and  your  hat  may  hide  them." 

Dropping  his  rod  he  carefully  moved  my  hat 
sideways,  forward  and  backward,  studying  the 
effect  each  time  as  if  worlds  were  hanging  on 
the  result.  He  looked,  also,  as  if  he  honestly 
wondered  which  of  the  marks  most  needed 
hiding.  Suddenly  he  chanced  to  look  so 
deep  into  my  eyes,  which  had  not  received 
any  of  the  paint,  that  the  brilliant  thought 
came  to  me  that  I  had  two  hands  of  my  own, 
and*  that  I  could — and  must — draw  the  hat 
down  till  it  should  shade  my  entire  face. 


223 


CHAPTER  XIX 


Utterly  Unexpected 

The  merciless  scolding  which  I  had  in- 
tended to  give  the  children,  in  the  presence  of 
their  parents,  dwindled  into  a  pitiful  appeal  to 
Kate ;  wouldn't  she  instruct  her  darlings  to  re- 
frain from  taking  any  liberties  with  my  face 
and  general  appearance  ? 

I  told  her  and  Harry  of  my  war  paint  and 
of  our  playing  Injun  "  and  buffalo  hunting, 
and  Kate  exclaimed  Shocking  !  "  and  Harry 
roared  Splendid  !  "  and  said  he  shouldn't  be 
happy  till  he  had  heard  Stryver's  version  of 
the  story.  So  day  after  day  passed,  with  occa- 
sional discomforting  imaginings  for  me,  and 
many  avoidances  of  Mr.  Stryver.  But  early 
one  morning,  at  the  end  of  the  week,  Kate 
took  me  into  her  room,  locking  the  door  as  if 
she  had  something  of  importance  to  communi- 
cate, and  said : 

•*  Nell,  Harry  has  done  his  utmost  to  get 
224 


Utterly  Unexpected 


Mr.  Stryver's  own  story  of  the  buffalo  hunt  at 
which  he  surprised  you,  in  all  your  glory  of 
paint  and  spear,  but  not  a  word  can  he  get — 
not  even  an  admission  that  Mr.  Stryver  saw 
anything  of  the  kind." 

"  Indeed  ?  So  you  don't  believe  the  story 
which  I  told  you,  and  which  the  children  con- 
fessed was  entirely  true  ?  " 

**  Oh,  Nell  !  Don't  jump  at  conclusions,  if 
you  don't  wish  to  land  on  the  wrong  spot — 
how  often  have  you  heard  that  from  father  ?  I 
wasn't  thinking  of  the  story,  but  of  Mr.  Stry- 
ver. Harry  says  he  has  heard  business  men's 
talks  that  were  marvels  of  evasion,  but  he 
never  met  Mr.  Stryver's  equal  at  getting  away 
from  a  subject — one  subject." 

"  'Tis  very  kind  of  Mr.  Stryver,"  I  replied, 
with  a  great  sense  of  relief,  for  where  is  the 
girl  who  likes  to  be  laughed  at  by  a  young 
man  ? 

*'  Kind  ?  "  Kate  echoed.  "  'Tis  more  than 
kind.  It  shows  that  Wayne  Stryver  is  at  heart 
what  most  young  men  are  on  the  surface  only 
— a  gentleman.  Can't  you  understand  the 
difference  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  don't  speak  so  loud.  Any  girl 
225 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


can  understand  it  after  she  has  met  a  lot  of 
machine-made  gentlemen — young  men  whose 
manners  are  only  on  the  surface,  as  you  express 
it." 

Kate  kissed  me  effusiyely  as  she  murmured  : 

*'  I'm  so  glad  you  know  it,  for — for  you 
were  my  first  baby,  you  know.  I'm  never  sure 
which  way  I  feel  most  strongly  toward  you — 
sisterly,  or  motherly." 

I  thanked  her  and  caressed  her,  but  all  the 
while  I  felt  that  I  must  fly,  or  scream,  or  do 
something  ridiculous,  so  I  shouted  for  the 
children  and  hurried  them  to  the  woods  and 
on  a  wild  tramp,  carrying  the  Insect  whenever 
her  short  legs  wearied  of  my  gait.  Kate 
offered  to  accompany  us,  for  Harry  had  been 
called  to  the  city  for  a  single  day,  and  she 
said  she  not  only  feared  she  would  be  lone- 
some, but  that  she  felt  physically  equal  to 
anything.  But  for  some  reason  I  did  not 
want  her;  I  wanted  to  run  wild,  and  shout, 
which  might  have  astonished  Kate,  though  the 
children  would  take  it  as  a  matter  of  course. 

We  had  a  glorious  time  and  a  rapid  one, 
that  made  us  ravenous  for  our  noonday  dinner. 
For  dessert  we  had  some  berries  from  a  clump 

226 


Utterly  Unexpected 


of  bushes  in  the  sun  near  a  brook,  where  we 
unexpectedly  met  Mr.  Stryver,  who  explained 
that  he  had  been  obliged  to  go  out  with  his 
rod,  as  Harry  was  away.  I  offered  him  a  seat 
on  a  fallen  tree-trunk,  apologized  for  our 
emptied  lunch-basket,  but  asked  the  children 
to  pick  him  some  berries.  He  called  my 
attention  to  a  flowering  shrub  near  by,  and 
took  me  over  to  it  and  discoursed  botanically 
about  it,  meanwhile  breaking  a  twig  covered 
with  bloom  and  shyly  thrusting  it  between 
the  buttons  of  my  blouse. 

His  lecture  was  interrupted  by  a  wild  scream 
from  the  Tiger,  whom  we  saw  stumbling  back- 
ward, waving  a  bleeding  hand,  while  she 
exclaimed : 

**Hnake!" 

The  young  man  leaped  toward  her,  stooped, 
struck  the  ground  vigorously  with  his  foot 
several  times  and  placed  his  toe  under  some- 
thing which,  a  second  after,  looked  like  a  piece 
of  rope  as  it  was  kicked  through  the  air  and 
many  feet  away.  A  snake  had  bitten  the 
Tiger  I  I  felt  myself  tottering  ;  then  reminding 
myself  that  it  was  not  the  time  to  become  use- 
less I  hurried  to  the  child,  but  Mr.  Stryver 

227 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


was  already  on  his  knees  beside  her  and  suck- 
ing the  wound. 

"  'Tis  the  best  treatment,"  he  said  in  a 
moment,  as  I  stood  helpless  beside  him,  and 
saw,  for  a  second  only,[two  dark  red  punctures 
on  the  fleshy  part  of  the  child's  thumb. 

**  There's  a  doctor  at  the  hotel — I'll  run  for 
him,"  I  said. 

"  Don't,"  he  replied.  "  Please  take  from 
my  side-pocket  a  flask  of  brandy — remove  the 
top — excuse  me — "  and  his  face  contorted 
as  his  lips  worked  vigorously  at  the  wound. 
After  a  few  seconds  he  stopped  long  enough 
to  say : 

**  Make  her  swallow  some  of  it — ^tell  her  she 
must." 

I  obeyed  ;  the  Tiger  coughed  and  spluttered 
and  tears  came  into  her  eyes  as  I  gazed  into 
her  face  and  recalled  all  I  had  ever  known  and 
heard  of  snake-bites  in  our  part  of  the  West, 
where  they  were  not  uncommon.  The  treat- 
ment was  the  same  as  Mr.  Stryver's ;  the 
wounds  were  sucked  and  spirits  were  given, 
and  I  could  not  recall  a  case  that  had  been 
fatal,  but  the  sufferers  had  been  rude  men,  who 
could  recover  from  almost  anything,  while  the 

228 


Mr.  Stryver  was  already  on  his  knees  beside  her  and  sucking  the  wound. 


Utterly  Unexpected 


Tiger  was  a  tender  child — and  my  darling 
niece.  If  the  worst  should  come,  would  Kate 
ever  forgive  me  ? 

But  the  Tiger — bless  her  ignorance  !  — soon 
began  to  regard  the  affair  as  somewhat  humor- 
ous. Instead  of  turning  purple,  as  was  the 
rule  in  cases  of  snake-bite,  her  face  remained 
rosy  and  her  eyes  bright,  and  she  smiled 
through  her  tears.  The  brandy  may  have 
contributed  to  this  result,  but  my  heart  had 
many  alternations  of  stopping  and  painful 
throbbing.  Soon  Mr.  Stryver,  who  all  the 
while  had  been  looking  into  her  face,  mumbled 
fragmentarily  from  the  side  of  his  mouth, 
without  stopping  his  work  more  than  a  second 
at  a  time : 

She's  safe — I'm  sure  of  it.  It  must  have 
happened — five  minutes  ago.  There  would 
be — some  purple  tinge — if  the — snake  poison 
were  not — fairly — removed." 

"Huh!"  said  the  Tiger.  "How  tood 
hnake-poison  detonbwiars,  I'd  like  to  know?" 

**  Tiggie  ! "  I  gasped.  "  Didn't  the  snake 
bite  you  ?  " 

"  N — o — o — o  !  But  he  fwightened  me 
mos'  to  deff.    An'  de  bwiars  hurt  me  awful, 

229 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


'tause  I  pulled  against  'em,  hoe's  to  det  away 
fwom  de  hnake  when  I  heen  him." 

I  made  a  noise  of  which  I  had  never  been 
guilty  before,  and  lost  heart  and  breath  and 
sight,  and  tumbled  backward,  my  last- thought 
being  that  my  head  might  strike  the  fallen 
tree  near  which  I  had  been  standing. 

I  had  always  despised  girls  who  fainted,  so 
when  I  began  to  recover  my  senses,  I  drawled : 
I  wish — rmy — head — hadn't — struck — that 
-log." 

"  But  it  didn't,"  said  Mr.  Stryven 
Certainly  my  head  was  resting  on  some- 
thing very  hard  and  unyielding.  Opening  my 
eyes  and  in  other  ways  coming  to  myself  I 
discovered  that  Mr.  Stryver's  right  arm  was 
around  me — and  his  left  arm  too. 

Your  broken  arm  ! "  I  exclaimed.  **  Do 
take  care  of  it." 

I'm  doing  so,"  he  replied,  with  a  look  that 
compelled  me  to  close  my  eyes  quickly.  It 
is  better  than  ever,  thanks  to  your  heart  beat- 
ing against  it." 

I  tried  to  rise,  but  I  did  not  succeed.  The 
Tiger,  and  the  dreadful  snake,  came  to  my 
mind,  so  I  said : 

230 


Utterly  Unexpected 


Tiggie  ?  Are  you  safe,  dear  ?  Do  you 
feel  entirely  well  ?  Are  you  very,  very  sure 
you  were  not  bitten  ?  " 

*'  She  is  entirely  safe,"  said  Mr.  Stryver 
tenderly,  "  and  she  looks  as  natural  as  ever,  so 
don't  worry  about  her." 

"  I'm  not  worrying,"  I  replied,  as  I  burst 
into  tears. 

"  Then  why  should  you  weep  ?  Do  let  me 
dry  your  eyes — and  there's  but  one  way  practi- 
cable— in  the  circumstances."  Whereupon  he 
began  to  kiss  my  tears  away,  and  I  was  help- 
less— until  he  had  mistaken  my  lips  for  eyes 
two  or  three  times.  Then  I  regained  self- 
possession  and  said  : 

**  Sorne  things  may  be  more  thoroughly 
done  with  a  handkerchief,  and  I  have  one 
somewhere." 

"  So  have  I,"  he  replied,  tossing  his  arm- 
sling  from  his  neck  and  slowly  extracting  from 
his  breast-pocket  a  stained  something  which 
recalled  my  war-paint"  experience  of  a  week 
before. 

**  There  is  a  laundry  at  the  hotel,"  I  ven- 
tured, as  he  gently  dried  my  eyes. 

"Yes — but  that  handkerchief  shall  never  be 
231 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


washed,  unless  there  is  a  laundry  in  heaven. 
Even  there  I  shall  prefer  it  as  it  is — stains 
and  all." 

"  The  beautiful  flowers  you  gave  me  ! "  I  ex- 
claimed, as  he  helped  me  to  my  feet,  and  I 
looked  myself  over.  *'  They're  crushed — 
killed." 

**  Not  they ! "  said  he,  taking  them  from  my 
breast  and  thrusting  them  into  his  own. 
"  They'll  live  forever  — I'll  stake  my  life  on 
it." 

We  walked  back  to  the  hotel  as  quietly — 
the  children,  Mr.  Stryver,  and  I — as  if  we  were 
tired  of  one  another,  yet  wherever  a  rock  or 
log  was  in  the  path  I  was  helped  over  it  as 
tenderly  as  if  I  were  an  invalid,  and  I  did  not 
decline  the  assistance.  We  had  almost 
reached  the  door,  when  the  Insect,  who  had 
been  as  quiet  as  a  mouse  in  all  the  excitement, 
asked : 

Auntie  Nell,  was  it  all  a  djeam  ?" 
"  All  what,  dear?" 

"  Why — Mr.  'Twyver  tissin*  you,  an*  ev'ry- 
fin\" 

"Yes — ^yes,  dear."  And  Mr.  Stryver  added  : 
•*  A  dream  that  shall  have  no  end." 

"But,  Incie,"  I  said  quickly,  "if  you  ever 
232 


Utterly  Unexpected 


breathe  a  word  of  it  to  any  one  I'll — I'll — 
I'll—" 

"And,"  said  Mr.  Stryver,  besides  all  the 
dreadful  things  that  your  Auntie  Nell  will  do 
to  you,  I'll  never,  never,  never  give  you  a 
marshmallow  or  a  cream  chocolate,  though  I 
have  hundreds  of  them  at  the  hotel." 

"  Dat's  too  bad,"  sighed  the  Tiger,  **  'tause 
de  Insec's  awful  leaky." 

As  for  me,  I  vowed  to  myself  that  wild 
horses  shouldn't  ever  drag  the  afternoon's 
story  from  me,  for  Kate  would  be  frantic  and 
wish  to  return  to  the  city  at  once  were  she  to 
know  that  one  of  her  children  might  have 
been  bitten  by  a  snake.  So  I  composed  my 
face  and  my  spirits,  and  met  Kate  as  bravely 
as  if  nothing  unusual  had  occurred.  Together 
we  put  the  children  to  bed  and  heard  them  say 
their  prayers  ;  then  Kate  put  her  arm  around 
me,  drew  me  from  the  room  and  into  her  own, 
which  was  dark,  and  whispered : 

"  Tell  me  all  about  it." 

"  About  what  ?    Has  the  Insect  leaked  ?" 

**  No,  but  you've  leaked,  and  you're  my  dar- 
ling and  only  sister." 

Oh,  the  Tiger  was  picking  berries, 
and  " 

233 


The  Tiger  and  the  Insect 


''Never  mind  the  Tiger — bless  her  heart! 
Go  on  with  the  story  !  " 

But  the  Tiger  "    I  told  all,  and  Kate 

shuddered  and  cried  and  laughed  and  sistered 
me  and  mothered  me,  and  when  I  had  finished 
and  rested  my  head  on  her  shoulder,  she  said : 

*'  I'm  so  glad  'tis  settled." 

**  But,"  I  protested,  "nothing  is  settled. 
'Twas  all    an   accident,  and   Wayne — why, 

father  and  mother  don't  know  him  " 

But  they  know  all  about  him." 

"  How  ? — through  whom  ?  " 

**  Through  Harry.  Mr.  Stryver  told  us,  in 
a  manly  way  that  captured  us,  that  you  were 
the  only  girl  he  had  ever  met,  whom  he  would 
like  to  win,  and  as  he  is  twenty-five  years  old 
and  has  seen  much  of  society,  he  ought  to 
know  his  own  mind.  We  warned  him  to  go 
slowly  and  carefully,  telling  him  that  you  were 
not  the  sentimental  kind,  but  we  assured  him 
that  you  had  not  already  a  sweetheart,  as  he 
had  supposed.  Then  he  asked  Harry  to  in- 
form father  and  mother  of  his  hopes,  and  to 
say  whatever  good  of  him  we  could.  Harry 
knows  all  about  him  and  his  family,  and  could 
say  nothing  but  what  was  good." 

234 


Utterly  Unexpected 


"  But  I  shall  go  home  soon,  and  he  will  be 
two  thousand  miles  away." 

Oh,  no,  he  won't,  unless  you  make  him 
remain  here.  Harry's  firm  has  a  place  for 
him  in  a  mine  in  our  State,  and  not  far  from 
our  old  home,  and  he  is  sure  of  a  better  start 
in  life  than  dear  Harry  had  when  we  married." 

But  'tis  all  so  new — and  strange — and  un- 
expected." 

'Tis  always  so,  dear,  to  her  who  deserves 
it.  But  we  foresaw  it  from  the  first — Harry 
and  I.  So  did  Wayne's  sister,  Mrs.  Lyle,  not 
that  there  were  any  signs,  but  because  it  seemed 
that  it  ought  to  be.  I  don't  for  a  moment 
doubt  that  heaven  foresaw  it  too,  and  made 
Wayne  fall  from  his  wheel  and  break  his  arm." 

I  could  not  reply.  While  my  wits  were  in 
a  daze  I  heard  the  patter  of  little  feet,  and  saw 
two  small  figures  in  white,  and  one  of  them 
said: 

**'Tain't  no  use.  Auntie  Nell.  De  Insects 
dot  to  leak,  or  hyec'll  bust." 

Auntie  Nell,"  the  Insect  asked,  "it  wasn't 
a  djeam,  was  it  ? — weally  an'  twuly  ?  " 
I  took  her  in  my  arms  and  whispered: 

No,  dear." 
So  

235 


